GOP Group Targets GOP Reps Voted for Gay Marriage NY
By DEVLIN BARRETT
An anti-gay-marriage group that takes credit for an upset victory over a Democratic congressional candidate in Queens last month is setting its sights on a handful of state legislators.
The National Organization for Marriage, which spent about $50,000 on mailings and calls against David Weprin's bid for Congress, said Friday it's spending $40,000 on billboards taunting four state senators with the words "You're Next.'' As a state assemblyman, Mr. Weprin voted for New York's landmark gay-marriage bill, as did the four state senators, earlier this year.
One of the lawmakers targeted by the billboards is Democrat Shirley Huntley of Jamaica, Queens. The other three are Republicans: Mark Grisanti in western New York, Stephen Saland in Poughkeepsie, and James Alesi in the Rochester suburbs.
Brian Brown, the president of NOM, said the lawmakers will discover "just like David Weprin'' that New York voters will punish them for voting in favor of the gay-marriage legislation, saying his group "will not rest until these legislators are turned out of office and the people of New York are allowed to vote on the definition of marriage.''
Mr. Weprin lost a special election Sept. 13 to succeed Rep. Anthony Weiner, despite a Democratic registration advantage in the Queens and Brooklyn district, and an injection of hundreds of thousands of campaign dollars from national Democrats.
The anti-gay-marriage group claimed credit for Weprin's eight percentage-point defeat to Republican Bob Turner, though Mr. Turner's camp has said it doesn't believe the issue had a significant impact on the race.
The lawmakers who gave the gay-marriage bill its margin of victory have also received promises of support from gay-rights groups who supported its passage, so it's unclear what the overall effect will be.
Doug Curella, a spokesman for Mr. Grisanti, called the NOM group "extremists" who are trying to bully the lawmaker, as well as "all western New York families with gay sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, parents, grandparents, and close friends. They just don't get it, they never will.'' Mr. Alesi said in a statement: "I am proud of my vote to extend fairness and equality, under the law, for everyone. That's what living in America is supposed to be about.''
Spokesmen for the other two lawmakers didn't respond to requests for comment.
Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com
An anti-gay-marriage group that takes credit for an upset victory over a Democratic congressional candidate in Queens last month is setting its sights on a handful of state legislators.
The National Organization for Marriage, which spent about $50,000 on mailings and calls against David Weprin's bid for Congress, said Friday it's spending $40,000 on billboards taunting four state senators with the words "You're Next.'' As a state assemblyman, Mr. Weprin voted for New York's landmark gay-marriage bill, as did the four state senators, earlier this year.
One of the lawmakers targeted by the billboards is Democrat Shirley Huntley of Jamaica, Queens. The other three are Republicans: Mark Grisanti in western New York, Stephen Saland in Poughkeepsie, and James Alesi in the Rochester suburbs.
Brian Brown, the president of NOM, said the lawmakers will discover "just like David Weprin'' that New York voters will punish them for voting in favor of the gay-marriage legislation, saying his group "will not rest until these legislators are turned out of office and the people of New York are allowed to vote on the definition of marriage.''
Mr. Weprin lost a special election Sept. 13 to succeed Rep. Anthony Weiner, despite a Democratic registration advantage in the Queens and Brooklyn district, and an injection of hundreds of thousands of campaign dollars from national Democrats.
The anti-gay-marriage group claimed credit for Weprin's eight percentage-point defeat to Republican Bob Turner, though Mr. Turner's camp has said it doesn't believe the issue had a significant impact on the race.
The lawmakers who gave the gay-marriage bill its margin of victory have also received promises of support from gay-rights groups who supported its passage, so it's unclear what the overall effect will be.
Doug Curella, a spokesman for Mr. Grisanti, called the NOM group "extremists" who are trying to bully the lawmaker, as well as "all western New York families with gay sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, parents, grandparents, and close friends. They just don't get it, they never will.'' Mr. Alesi said in a statement: "I am proud of my vote to extend fairness and equality, under the law, for everyone. That's what living in America is supposed to be about.''
Spokesmen for the other two lawmakers didn't respond to requests for comment.
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