As the returns were coming in last night, despite the, to quote the President on this day four years ago, "thumpin'" we took, I did find several rays of light in victories for the LGBT movement and allies. I share them because while I'm not a Hope™ kind of guy, I do believe that finding what is positive and what worked is as important as what went wrong. We have some work to do, after all.
At the top of the list for me is that around the country, governors who pledged to sign important equality legislation were elected in key races- Cuomo in NY, Abercrombie in HI, Chafee in RI, O'Malley in MD, Brown in CA, and perhaps Mark Dayton in Minnesota who is leading at the time of this post. California is so important because of the standing issue that threatened to bring the whole Prop 8 case down, while MD, RI, NY and MN are, from what multiple sources on the ground have told me and my own observations, the four states in which we are closest to getting the freedom to marry for same-sex couples enshrined into law. In Hawaii, where Gov. Lingle callously vetoed the civil unions bill, we replaced her with proud progressive and LGBT ally Neil Abercrombie, who will sign it if/when should it pass through the legislature again. The biggest disappointment was major homophobe Paul LePage winning the governor's chair in Maine, who not only opposes marriage equality but also wants to repeal the 2005 anti-discrimination law, a law upheld even by the voters. This will make it very tough to get a marriage bill through again soon. On the whole, though, some good advances among state executives.
In New York State, where we lost the marriage vote in the State Senate 24-38 last December, we made gains. By my count, a minimum of 25 pro-equality Senators, either by previous vote or by voice, will take their seats, and that could go as high as 28 (three incumbent Democrats who voted for the bill are in tight races not yet called). 32 votes are needed to pass a bill. Between a handful who pledged to be with us should their votes pave the way for passage, and perhaps more whose minds will be changed, solid victories. Of equal concern is retaining Democratic control of the State Senate, as despite minority leader Skelos' promise to bring up the bill for a vote again, I don't believe him. At worst, it looks like a 29/33 minority and at best, retain control by the same margin of 32/30, but that is critical.
In California, Kamala Harris is putting up a fight that is a close one- it looks like with nearly all the votes in, she is up by a margin of 0.2%, but with Riverside County yet to come in, along with absentees and provisional ballots. That race is also important to the standing issue in Prop 8, and also because Kamala is as outspoken a straight ally as we'll find on the freedom to marry.
Losing the judges in Iowa who ruled in favor of the freedom to marry hurts, and is frankly offensive. As one colleague wrote to me this morning, another new low in NOM and the anti-gays playing with fire near the state constitution.
But, NOM's top dog in California, Andy Pugno, the author of Prop 8, went down in an Assembly race to a staunchly pro-LGBT ally. And they lost around the country, from Paladino (who they weirdly sued for the right to advertise in favor of without having to follow state law) to DC City Council candidates to NH Gov. John Lynch, re-elected despite heavy NOM advertising slamming him for signing the marriage bill.
California and Maryland now has seven openly gay members of the state legislature, highest in the nation (still too few, but the arc of history). David Cicilline also became the fourth openly LGBT member of Congress, and Barney Frank won in a walk over FreedomWorks with gay staffers GOProud endorsee Sean Bielat. In Lexington, KY, Jim Gray was elected mayor as an openly gay man. The Victory Fund reports a record number of openly LGBT candidates elected to office.
In the losses that perhaps hurt the most, LGBT heroes Sen. Russ Feingold, Rep. Patrick Murphy, and Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet- three candidates I worked perhaps hardest for, and many of you contributed to- all went down. I think in almost any other year, good men like these would have won- and I hope they all run again. Other openly gay candidates some of whom had a shot and some who did not, lost. Barbara Boxer returning to the Senate is the one good step on the national level.
Some of the losses yesterday felt like a punch in the gut, while others a ray of light. All in all, a step forward for marriage equality nationwide and LGBT people and allies. And the fight to return our strongest champions in those who lost continues anew.
