Recently in 2008 Congressional Campaigns Category

In an April 29^th debate, North Carolina’s two main contenders for the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, State Sen. Kay Hagan and openly gay candidate Jim Neal, faced off in a heated exchange. Neal attacked Sen. Hagan for accepting contributions from political action committees. Sen. Hagan responded that she challenges “anyone to question my integrity.” Sen. Hagan is trying to portray herself as the most experienced candidate with the best chance of beating incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole in the general election.  Meanwhile, Neal has branded himself as the anti-establishment candidate, who is not beholden to special interests.

 

The candidates were asked about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and hate crime legislation. Sen. Hagan, who has been accused of equivocating when questioned about LGBT issues, said we should repeal DADT and that she supports hate crime legislation. Neal has been vocal on both issues throughout the campaign, repeatedly stating his strong support for LGBT equality. Unfortunately, Sen. Hagan’s remarks were mainly left out of the mainstream media’s coverage of the debate. The News & Observer’s article made no mention of her statements. Similarly, the Associated Press story excluded their exchange on gay issues.

 

Now that Sen. Hagan is finally speaking about important legislation impacting the LGBT community, it is requisite that the media inform the public on exactly where she stands on these issues, so that North Carolinians can make a fully informed decision when casting their vote.

 

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy 

The mainstream press is giving increasing coverage to the grassroots primary campaign of openly gay North Carolina Democratic Senate nominee Jim Neal. Special attention has been paid to the way Neal has used the Internet to raise funds and compete against Democratic rival, state Sen. Kay Hagan, who has the support of party leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer. Ever since Howard Dean utilized the netroots in his ‘04 presidential bid to raise money and galvanize voters the media have increasingly focused on how the Internet is changing the political process. It has been a consistent theme for Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign, especially in talking about how he has been able to engage young voters. Now we are starting to see more stories of openly gay candidates, like Neal, who are utilizing online technologies to challenge the party establishment.

A March 26 article in the Charlotte Observer states that Neal is aiming to become “only the second openly gay Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in American history.” The piece goes on to say that Neal is utilizing the “so-called netroots, writing blogs and raising money online.” On March 6 the News & Observer reported that, “It was during a live blog on BlueNC that U.S. Senate candidate Jim Neal revealed that he is gay, making national news.” Neal has also received the endorsement of influential blogs, including Pam’s House Blend – which has been extensively covering his campaign – and AMERICAblog. A recent Survey USA poll has him in a statistical dead heat with Hagan.

A win by Neal in the primary would be huge for garnering more national coverage of openly gay candidates. It could also help create stories that are less about insurgent candidates using the netroots to challenge the establishment and more about the viability of LGBT people as mainstream candidates. 

Paul Karr is Directory of Media Field Strategy

Openly gay candidates and politicians are not unheard of in the Midwest—Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin has been widely profiled in the media for more than 10 years, and Ohio judge, the honorable Mary Wiseman has garnered media attention in the past six months. But unfortunately attacks on these openly gay politicians are becoming as common as openly gay politicians themselves.

Milwaukee’s Patrick Flaherty, a candidate for Common Council in the city’s Third Aldermanic District, has found himself the latest openly gay Midwestern candidate to experience such attacks. The Pilgrim’s Covenant Church, which a Victory Fund called “Wisconsin’s own version of Fred Phelps,” has started dropping anti-gay literature in key precincts in Flaherty’s district. The incident has been covered in the blogosphere, but mainstream media has not yet covered it. Though previously the mainstream media coverage of Flaherty’s campaign didn’t focus on his orientation, it may become an issue in light of the Pilgrim Covenant Church’s antics. Flaherty is open about his orientation, and before becoming a full-time candidate this year, served as Director of Community Relations at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center.

Mary Wiseman, Ohio’s first openly gay judge, received her share of anti-gay sentiments when she was appointed late last year. Her anti-gay opponent for the position of Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge took his anti-gay words to the media after her appointment, calling for Wiseman to abstain from ruling on any gay-related case.  A week after LGBT and mainstream press picked up on the issue, Wiseman’s anti-gay opponent dropped out of the race. Wiseman is running to defend her seat in the November 4th election.

The most well-known out Midwestern politician, Tammy Baldwin, is also up for re-election this year. Baldwin, who became the first openly gay first-time candidate elected to Congress, was also Wisconsin’s first female representative. Throughout her political career, the media have focused less and less on Baldwin’s orientation. In fact, her orientation is not even mentioned in recent articles and letters to the editor concerning her.

Baldwin has been in Congress for a decade, while Wiseman and Flaherty are relatively new to the political scene. In Baldwin’s case, her orientation is basically a non-issue for the media. In both Flaherty and Wiseman’s cases, orientation has not been a media issue unless an anti-gay activist attacks them. As gay people become more visible in the media, more Americans change their hearts and minds about their gay neighbors. Americans also change their hearts and minds about politicians representing them who happen to be gay. With at least eight openly gay candidates up for election this year in the Midwest, it will be interesting to see how and when candidates’ orientations are mentioned in the media as the elections progress. 

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy

When Republican State Rep. Jon Elrod (left) of Indiana refused to sign an anti-gay petition, people noticed. Out of 49 Republicans in the Indiana House, Elrod was the only one who did not sign the petition demanding a floor vote on an amendment that would make marriages for gay and lesbian couples, already illegal, also unconstitutional. In fact, Elrod has stated that he is willing to become the first Hoosier Republican legislator to vote against a marriage ban, even as he runs for a congressional seat in a special election to be held March 11.

During its first go-around, the amendment passed the Senate last year, but it died in the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee. The Republican-controlled Senate approved the amendment again this January, but it is currently stalled in the House, where it must pass before coming up for a popular vote. Elrod’s fellow Republicans have said this stance on the marriage ban puts him at odds with his party, and bloggers have christened him a “fake Republican.”

A reporter for The Indianapolis Star recently contemplated that Elrod “leaves you wondering whether [he] just enjoys sticking a thumb in the eye of the establishment.” To others familiar with Elrod, his stance against the marriage ban might not be much of a surprise. Elrod himself has criticized the Republican Party’s emphasis on social issues over economic issues: “As long as they got fired up about the definition of marriage amendment or the Terri Schiavo case, that was fine—then you could spend whatever it is you want to spend.”

The Indianapolis Star’s latest article calls Elrod “his own conservative” in the article’s headline. This characterization of Elrod represents a turning point in the media. Not only are opponents of anti-gay legislation garnering media coverage, but their stances are also receiving thoughtful analysis. The Indianapolis Star made the distinction between being politically conservative and being anti-gay. Coverage like this gives advocates hope that we can begin to break down stereotypes and change hearts and minds about our lives and our issues, regardless of politics.

h/t Log Cabin Republicans

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy.