Money Flows to New York State GOP Backers of Gay Marriage

Remember last June and July when NOM and other Christianists decried the passage of gay marriage legislation in New York State and vowed to see that campaign funding was cut off to Republicans who voted for gay marriage? Well, so far it looks like the effort to kill campaign contributions to the targeted legislators has failed and any loss in Christianist donations has been more than offset by progressive contributors. I certainly hope that the trend continues and that these brave members of the GOP - a party where bravery and integrity are in low quantity - win re-election thereby sending a strong message to hate merchants like Maggie Gallagher, Tony Perkins and Brian Brown. Here are highlights from the New York Times on the successful campaign fundraising efforts of those who did the right thing in defiance of the hate merchants:

ALBANY — Gay rights advocates from Wall Street to Hollywood poured donations into the coffers of four little-known Republican state senators after the lawmakers provided the decisive votes for same-sex marriage in New York last June, according to new campaign finance filings released on Tuesday.

The support for the four senators, whose votes broke ranks with their party, is seen by gay rights leaders as symbolically important for their movement nationally, because in many states same-sex marriage could become law only with support from Republicans, as well as conservative Democrats. Maryland, New Jersey and Washington State are expected to consider same-sex marriage legislation this year.

The four New York Republicans had been threatened with political retribution by the state’s Conservative Party, and now face possible challenges from both the left and the right, but same-sex marriage supporters had promised to help them politically if they supported the issue.

“It was essential to send a clear signal around the country that we will support those who support equality, irrespective of party,” said Brian Ellner, a senior strategist for the Human Rights Campaign . . .

All four Republicans who voted for same-sex marriage sharply increased their fund-raising in the six months after the marriage bill passed, in many cases raising money from people they had never met.

State Senator Roy J. McDonald, a Republican who is a Vietnam veteran from Saratoga County, became a momentary folk hero for many gay people . . . . raised about $447,000 in the six months following the vote, about 27 times more than he had raised in the same period in 2009. Senator Stephen M. Saland, a Republican lawyer from Poughkeepsie whose decision to support same-sex marriage became clear only when he rose to speak during the vote, raised $425,000.

The senators will need the help. Same-sex marriage opponents have promised to target them when all state lawmakers face re-election in November. “All the money in the world isn’t going to buy them out of the fact that they’re about to lose an election,” said Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposed the New York law and has said it will spend heavily to oust the four senators. “People are outraged by what they’ve done, and they are going to be held accountable,” he said.

The donations to the individual senators came from a variety of prominent figures in the political, philanthropic, financial and entertainment worlds — from the Hollywood director J. J. Abrams to the producer Stephen Bing, from the billionaire Robert Ziff to a former United States solicitor general, Theodore B. Olson, a Republican who is leading a challenge to a same-sex marriage ban in California.

Many of the same large donors also helped Mr. Cuomo, who will not be on the ballot again until 2014, amass a formidable $14 million campaign treasury, in part from celebrities including Calvin Klein, Don Henley and Rob Reiner, as well as studio executives and business leaders.

Other contributions came in small amounts from donors across the nation — not a usual source of money for upstate legislative candidates. One Texas woman sent Mr. Saland $5, while a donor in Mississippi sent in $12.

For many of the donors, the motivation was personal. My son is gay and happily planning to marry soon,” said Daryl Roth, a Broadway producer who recently backed a revival of “The Normal Heart,” a drama about the early years of AIDS. Ms. Roth gave the legal maximum, $16,800, to Senators Grisanti, McDonald and Saland, according to state records, as did her husband, the real estate developer Steven Roth.

Let's hope that the threats by the forces of evil such as NOM are unsuccessful. Hopefully, one day all in the GOP will realize that equality for all citizens offers the brightest future for New York State and the nation.