He could be Michigan’s first out LGBTQ+ member of Congress. He wants Democrats to fight harder

Jeremy Moss remembers what it felt like to have his future put to a vote.He was 18 in 2004 when Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions. The message reached well beyond the legal question on the ballot.“It was really a signal to me that there’s no future for me here,” Moss told The Advocate.Twenty-two years later, the Democratic state senator is seeking to become Michigan’s first out LGBTQ+ member of Congress. He believes that Democrats must defend their convictions forcefully enough to win power, then use it to make people’s lives more secure.“First and foremost, I think voters want fighters and not folders,” he said in an interview.Related: Meet the Michigan state senator pushing to enshrine marriage equality protections in the state constitutionMoss faces Republican Ethan Baker in the November 3 election for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, an Oakland County seat that opened when Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens launched her unsuccessful Senate campaign.In a separate interview with The Advocate, Rep. Mark Takano, cochair of Equality PAC, described Moss as “widely regarded to be on a glide path to a victory in the general election in November.”Decision Desk HQ’s forecast rates the seat “Safe Democratic.”The national environment also favors Democrats. Silver Bulletin’s generic congressional ballot average, updated October 14, showed an 8.6-percentage-point Democratic advantage. A Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted September 30 through October 5 found Democrats leading Republicans 44 percent to 37 percent among 3,526 registered voters.For Moss, favorable conditions are an opportunity Democrats still must prove they deserve.“We need a stronger, bolder, tougher Democratic Party, one that does not show up to the knife fight carrying a pie chart,” he said.He wants Democrats to speak about healthcare, gun safety, and congressional checks on President Donald Trump with the confidence Tr