Washington (CNN) Zach Wahls, an activist for LGBTQ rights who rose to prominence for a viral speech defending marriage equality and his same-sex parents, claimed victory in the Democratic primary for an Iowa Senate seat on Tuesday.

In 2011, Wahls made an emotional appeal to Iowa lawmakers as the Legislature weighed the possibility of a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.

"My family really isn't so different from yours," he said at the time, telling lawmakers he was raised by two women. A video of that speech has been viewed more than 3 million times.

At the time of the speech, Wahls was a 19-year-old student at the University of Iowa. Now he is 26, putting him on track to become one of the state's youngest lawmakers if he wins in November.

After winning nearly 60 percent of the vote in his primary, Wahls is expected to advance to the November general election for a state Senate seat representing Iowa's 37th District. He is set to face off against libertarian candidate Carl Krambeck.

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