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Some friends have been asking me about what's being done to build on the 24 votes in the New York State Senate for marriage equality (you need 32 for passage). I can say that so far that two, and possibly three, of the no votes will flip.
In Astoria, State Sen. George Onorato (D), who was a no vote, has elected to retire. His replacement will almost assuredly be Assemblyman Mike Gianaris, elected in 2000, who ran for Attorney General in 2006 before getting out of the race. Gianaris voted multiple times for marriage equality when it was up in the Assembly, is also great on energy issues. I'm told by local Queens activists that he also frequently attends local LGBT events and is very strong on LGBT issues. Given all this, he should be a solid pro-marriaeg equality vote, and the seat is all but his.
Also in Queens, State Sen. Monserrate (D), who was convicted and sentenced to 3 years probation for slashing his girlfriend's face, and who flip-flopped on his support for marriage equality going back to 2001 by voting no, was recommended for expulsion this week by a special investigative Senate Committee for lying about his crime. Whether Monserrate can actually be expelled is up for a debate at TAP, but given the precedent set, it seems he can be. Regardless, his opponent, Assemblyman Jose Peralta, who also voted for marriage equality in the Assembly, has raised just under $180,000 and has $154,000 on hand, including contributions from several members of the NY congressional delegation and even Reps. Delahunt and Wexler (how cool is that?!). Monserrate has about $93K on hand and also has to contend with his legal fight. Look for this one to flip, too. And go here to sign the petition to demand the State Senate fire Monserrate.
On the Republican side, former City Councilman Tony Avella (D), who ran in last year's primary for NYC mayor against Thompson, is still exploring getting in the race against State Sen. Frank Padavan (R), who won in 2008 by under 500 votes after a lengthy recount. Avella sponsored marriage equality legislation on the City Council and was also backed by Working Families Party in the last several elections. I'm told he's unlikely to have as clear a field as Gianaris or Peralta, though. We'll see on that one.
The one other thing I do want to mention is that the skepticism on all of these guys is well-warranted. The rallying cry has been "No more Addabbos", referring to Sen. Joe Addabbo (D), who won one of the most heavily targeted races in 2008, pledged to support marriage equality, and even took a combined total of $20,000 from bill sponsor State Sen. Duane, Empire State Pride Agenda, and Gill Action Fund. He still voted no. There really is no magic bullet on how to ensure the people you elect adhere to their promises. Politicians lie. The best thing to do is to find those who do not just make pledges, but like the challengers above, have a long, strong history of activism in favor of marriage equality; scaring the living hell out of them if they even consider going back on their word; pressuring them to go public with their support for the bill when it comes up; and keeping up the grassroots pressure around the vote. Some, but not all of these things were done, particularly around the vote, and that needs to change next time around. But we start by finding and electing folks we can trust.
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