The Stonewall DFL endorsed two candidates on Sunday for two special elections schedules to take place in early January. The LGBT group endorsed Mohamud Noor to replace Sen. Larry Pogemiller in the state Senate and Susan Allen to replace Rep. Jeff Hayden in the state House.

Pogemiller’s district covers Minneapolis around the University of Minnesota, as well as the Northeast and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods. Hayden’s district encompasses the Powderhorn Park area of south Minneapolis.

The group said that Noor’s endorsement was due to his work in the Somali community.

“Stonewall DFL endorsed Mohamud Noor because his message of equal opportunity resonated with our members. Noor not only speaks to the cause of equality, he acts upon it. Noor has been reaching out in the Somali community, educating his fellow citizens about the real motivations behind the 2012 anti-Marriage Amendment and explaining why LGBT citizens and newer Americans must work together to defend the rights of and protections for all families,” said David DeGrio a resident of Senate District 59 and the Chair of Stonewall DFL.

“Mohamud Noor’s combination of policy experience on the Council of Black Minnesotans, his professional expertise as to how state services are best delivered to improve the lives of children and families, his commitment to a high-quality public education system, and his proven ability to build cross-cultural coalitions makes him the right choice to represent my friends and neighbors in SD59,” DeGrio continued.