Steve Pougnet, the openly gay mayor of Palm Springs, is running for Congress next year against Republican incumbent Mary Bono Mack, who represents the state's 45th Congressional District. One of two Southern Californian gay married men with children running for House seats next year, Pougnet is already attracting significant support from donors and Democratic officials.

He is being hosted next week at a San Francisco fundraiser at the home of lesbian couple Leslie Katz, a former city supervisor, and Jenny Wald. Among the co-chairs are several Congress members, including Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo) and George Miller (D-Martinez), a close adviser to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund endorsed him in June and friend Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California), who owns a home in the Palm Springs area, has also been supportive of his campaign. In recent weeks out Congressman Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) helped raise money for Pougnet's campaign, and next month Pougnet, who grew up in Denver, will be feted at a San Diego fundraiser hosted by out Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colorado).

To date he has banked nearly $500,000 for the race, more than any other Democratic candidate running in the district has been able to raise in years past. And as of now, no other Democrat has entered next June's primary, while Bono Mack, considered to be a moderate GOP member, is facing a primary challenge from Hemet resident Clayton Thibodeau, who describes himself as a Republican constitutionalist and could draw conservatives to his campaign.

The race is expected to be one of the most closely watched campaigns by the LGBT community next year. Pougnet is seen as having the best chances of becoming only the fourth out member of Congress and the first openly gay member of California's delegation.

"I think this is going to be the race in the LGBT community next year. It is going to be important and people are going to see me and Christopher and our children and our dogs and see we are just like any other American family," said Pougnet in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. "It is going to be a long, intense campaign and one we are going to win with a lot of different people supporting it."

Pougnet, 46, and his partner, Christopher Green, have been together 20 years. They are raising 3-year-old twins, Julian and Beckham. LGBT leaders are clamoring to have his presence on the Hill to champion marriage rights for same-sex couples.

"If we elect Steve to Congress ... imagine future debates over repealing" the Defense of Marriage Act, wrote Clay Dougherty, one of the hosts of next week's fundraiser, in an e-mail message. "Having a legally married gay man in Congress, sharing how DOMA affects him personally! We all know that those colleague-to-colleague conversations are vital to influencing decisions and how members of Congress will vote and Steve can be a true testament to the criminal impact that DOMA has had on our lives."

Bono Mack, 47, is married to GOP Florida Congressman Connie Mack; she has two children and four stepchildren. Democrats believe they have a strong chance of defeating her, especially after President class=middlecopy>Barack Obama carried her district last year. Democratic registration has been on the rise in the district, which covers the Moreno Valley, the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley, the Coachella Valley, and parts of Riverside County.

According to the secretary of state's office, the margin of difference between registered Republicans and Democrats in the 45th district has declined by more than half from 9.57 percent in February 2007 to 4.27 percent in May 2009.

"It is one of the districts seen as a real target of opportunity and we are focusing effort on it," said Andrew Stone, western regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Mayor Pougnet is an incredibly formidable candidate who has shown an ability to raise funds. He has an incredible record as mayor in the face of an economic downturn."

The other race featuring an out gay married dad is also a high priority for Democratic Party officials. Solana Beach City Councilman Dave Roberts, who was recently in town to fundraise, is one of three Democrats running in the state's 50th Congressional District north of San Diego. [See the October 26 online Political Notes column for the B.A.R.'s interview with Roberts.]

Roberts is seen as having an edge in the party primary next June, and should he win, having a good chance of defeating incumbent GOP Congressman Brian Bilbray. As with Bono Mack's district, Democratic registration has been rising in Bilbray's district and Obama also carried it in last year's presidential race.

"It is one we are definitely paying a lot of attention to and we are excited about," said Stone. "If you look at the three Democratic candidates in there, they out raised Congressman Bilbray last quarter, which I think speaks to there being a lot of excitement behind them."

Both Roberts and Pougnet are turning to the Bay Area's LGBT community for financial help with their races. They both will be back in town in early December for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund's Leadership Conference and are planning a second round of fundraisers during the confab with elected LGBT leaders from around the globe.

With the Bay Area's congressional delegation overwhelmingly supportive of LGBT rights, local LGBT residents looking to have an influence on passage of pro-gay legislation in Washington, D.C. are being urged to become involved in the southern California races.

George Zander, chair of the Desert Stonewall Democrats chapter, said Bono Mack in particular is vulnerable next year and can be defeated by Pougnet. Despite her continued support from Log Cabin Republicans, the gay GOP group, she no longer draws the backing of the Human Rights Campaign, which last endorsed her in 2006.

Although Bono Mack, who was first elected in 1998 to fill the vacancy created by the death of her then-husband Sonny Bono, broke with her party and this year voted for the military reauthorization bill that included hate crime protections for LGBT people, she does not support marriage equality.

"She used to be perceived as gay friendly for a Republican," said Zander.

But an influx of younger LGBT residents into the district, particularly in the Palm Springs area, has diminished Bono Mack's ability to curry support with the gay community, argued Zander. He predicted the city and the surrounding areas would tilt toward Pougnet and that voters in Riverside County, who are increasingly people of color and more conservative Democrats, would decide who wins the race.

"My theory is he will win Palm Springs 2-to-1 given that the Democratic clubs can get the vote out in Palm Springs," he said. "I think he is a good candidate for the independents in the district because he is not an ultra liberal person. We have been running ultra liberals in this district where they can't win."

But the Riverside area of the district falls within the pricey Los Angeles media market, so raising at least $1 million will be key if Pougnet is to get his commercials on the air during the general election next fall. He said he is trying to spend as little money as possible now and save most of his campaign coffers for use next fall.

"We are out on all cylinders raising money," said Pougnet, who has already traveled to New York and Washington, D.C. for fundraisers.

Nor is Pougnet shying away from challenging Bono Mack on her record for LGBT rights. He plans to continue to bring up her lack of support for marriage rights for same-sex couples and is not afraid that doing so will detract other voters from supporting him. And he has criticized her for backing former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who supported Prop 8 last year, in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

"She has gotten a free pass and we are going to change that. I am happy she voted for hate crimes but how many Republicans did she bring with her on hate crimes? The answer is she brought none," he said. "People have seen me fighting for LGBT issues since I was elected mayor. They don't have to beg me for my vote on some of these things."

The Pougnet fundraiser will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 17. Tickets begin at $100 per person. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.actblue.com.

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check www.ebar.com Monday mornings around 10 a.m. for Political Notes, the notebook's online companion. This week's column reports on police complaints in the Castro.

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Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 861-5019 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.