Chad Griffin, the influential gay rights activist who helped turn the Human Rights Campaign into a powerful political force, is stepping down as the organization's president.
Griffin's announcement follows a midterm election in which the organization invested heavily in Democratic campaigns. The capstone for the group came this week, when Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema won a close Senate race, becoming the first openly bisexual person elected to the Senate.
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Griffin has spent seven years at the helm of Human Rights Campaign. He's steered the organization through the Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage and the repeal of a North Carolina law that required transgender people to use restrooms matching their birth certificates.
He informed staff of his decision to step down Thursday.
