NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Announces $500K Matching Donation for Maine, Minnesota and Washington Gay Marriage Battles

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today announced that he's promised a total of $500,000 in matching challenge donations for the next five days to battles for marriage equality in Washington and Maine and against the anti-gay marriage amendment in Minnesota aimed at raising $1 million for the campaigns:

The Mayor pledged $250,000 to Washington United for Marriage, $125,000 to Mainers United for Marriage and $125,000 to Minnesotans United for All Families. The pledges will help each group raise additional money by matching new contributions made in the homestretch of the campaign. If the challenge is successful, it will raise $1 million for the cause of marriage equality in the three states.

“Government has no business denying marriage licenses to a whole class of couples in Maine, Minnesota, Washington or anywhere else,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The 14th Amendment guarantees us all equal protection under the law, and marriage equality is the next big step in America’s long march of freedom. The barriers to it are bound to fall; the question is not if but when. I was proud to help support the successful effort to achieve marriage equality in New York State, and I’m proud to stand with supporters of marriage equality around the country this November.”

Visit Mainers United here, Minnesotans United for All Families here, and Washington United for Marriage here to pledge donations.

Las week, Bloomberg announced that he had made a personal donation of $250,000 to Marylanders for Marriage Equality, which you can visit here.

Bloomberg Says He's 'More In Sync' With Obama

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg hasn't made an endorsement in the 2012 presidential election, but told the New York Times he's "more in sync" with President Obama on matters like marriage equality and abortion. He also told the paper that he thinks Vice President Joe Biden deserves more credit than Obama on pushing the administration toward supporting gay marriage.

Though he is more likely to agree with Mr. Obama than with Mr. Romney — on same-sex marriage, climate change and abortion rights — he expressed disappointment with the president’s leadership.

“I am more in sync with President Obama’s views on social issues,” he said. “I will say that I don’t see as much action as I would like, and it’s nice to be on the side that I think you should be on, but unless you do something, so what?”

Mr. Bloomberg was asked how he could make that criticism given the president’s announcement last spring that he supported same-sex marriage.

“Let’s get serious here: it was Joe Biden that forced that issue,” he said, referring to the vice president’s surprise remarks backing same-sex nuptials that were credited with forcing Mr. Obama to follow. “Some people say he just goes off; I would say he’s a principled guy.”

Bloomberg's interview comes as the billionaire prepares his post-mayoral legacy: last week he announced the formation of Independence USA PAC, a super PAC that will only support candidates who believe in gun control, education reform and marriage equality.

NYC Mayor Bloomberg's New Super PAC Backs Marriage Equality

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg today announced the formation of a new super PAC, Independence USA PAC, through which he's prepared to spend up to $15 million between now and election day on campaigns large and small. He will support local, congressional and state candidates from any party, he says, but they must support three things: marriage equality, stricter gun laws and education reform.

One anonymous Bloomberg official said, "This spending sends a clear message that the mayor intends to keep his wallet open after he leaves office to influence national policy around issues like guns, education and marriage equality." And according to the New York Times, Bloomberg's already supporting a number of candidates.

Among those whom Mr. Bloomberg will support are former Gov. Angus King, an independent running for the United States Senate in Maine; State Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, who is challenging a fellow Democrat, Representative Joe Baca of California, who the mayor believes has been weak on gun-control; and Representative Bob Dold, a Republican from Illinois who has backed gun-control measures.

Bloomberg is also looking into candidates in California, Louisiana, and is "likely" to support the Washington and Maine gay marriage ballot battles, according to the paper.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Gives $250,000 to Fight for Marriage Equality in Maryland

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made the largest individual contribution received by proponents of same-sex marriage in Maryland, the NYT reports:

Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire who attended college in Maryland at Johns Hopkins, dipped into his personal fortune to help persuade New York lawmakers to approve same-sex marriage in 2011, and he has supported a similar effort in New Hampshire. His contribution came after discussions with Maryland’s governor, Martin O’Malley, a Democrat who has spearheaded the effort to pass the referendum, known as Question 6.

“The fact that someone of Mayor Bloomberg’s national stature and recognition would care about our referendum campaign for civil marriage equality, I think, tells people all over our country that this is a serious and real campaign,” Mr. O’Malley said in an interview on Thursday evening from Kentucky, where he was attending the vice-presidential debate.

In related news, HRC added an additional $1 million to the state marriage battles:

 This brings HRC’s total contributions to the four ballot measures to $4.4 million and $7.3 million overall during this election cycle.

Today, Towleroad is joining with The Four to help raise money for the state marriage battles. If you wish to help out, please click HERE.

Cuomo and Bloomberg Back Embattled Pro-Gay GOP Incumbents

New York State Senators Stephen M. Saland and Roy J. McDonald, two of the four Republicans to vote for marriage equality in the Empire State, are currently in political limbo.

After last week's primary vote, both men are awaiting recounts to see if they've actually survived conservative efforts to oust them for their pro-equality politics. And with the ballots being reexamined starting today, the men are getting some vocal support from two big NY names.

First, Gov. Andrew Cuomo this morning threw his weight behind the embattled senators.

Saying their votes for "an act of political courage" that bucked their party's dominant thinking, Cuomo pointed out that lawmakers are not always meant to agree with their constituents; they're meant to do what's right, a point that's so often lost in the political back-and-forth.

“I don’t believe we elect officials to always agree with us,” Cuomo remarked, according to the New York Times. “We elect officials to use their best judgment and to be people of character and integrity, and I think this vote, which was a difficult vote, showed character and integrity. I hope it works out for both gentlemen. They’re in the middle of recounts now, and I hope it works out — I hope they get re-elected."

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg also came out for Saland and McDonald. "No matter what happens in the election, they’re going to have the satisfaction of knowing for the rest of their life they stood up and voted their conscience, and they did it in a world where that’s harder to do today maybe than it’s been in a long time," said Bloomberg, who gave $10,300 of his billions to each of three pro-equality state senators who ran for reelection. Mark Grisanti won by a landslide and the fourth supportive senator, James Alesi, retired.

NYC Mayor Bloomberg: Blocking Chick-fil-A 'Not Government's Job'

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg weighed in on recent statements by the Chicago and Boston Mayors Emanuel and Menino, and city officials from Philadelphia, who have expressed  desires to block Chick-fil-A from opening in their city'sbecause of the company's discriminatory worldview and donations to anti-gay marriage organizations.

Bloomberg spoke with Politicker, saying he would not take a similar stance:

“They’re all friends but I disagree with them really strongly on this one,” Mr. Bloomberg said of his mayoral colleagues. “You can’t have a test for what the owners’ personal views are before you decide to give a permit to do something in the city. You really don’t want to ask political beliefs or religious beliefs before you issue a permit, that’s just not government’s job.”

Mr. Bloomberg went on to argue that blocking a business based on their political beliefs opens a potential slippery slope where liberal cities block conservative establishments and vice versa with conservative cities.

“Freedom of speech — everybody’s in favor of it as long as it’s what they want to hear,” he explained. “Well the only way that you have your freedom of speech is if you give other people freedom of speech. … This is just a bad idea and it’s not going to happen in New York City.”

There is one Chick-fil-A in NYC, on the NYU campus.