Despite a mailer sent to 6,000 by a conservative group called the California Republic Assembly, Log Cabin Republican Mike Gin beat his Republican opponent by a landslide in the small coastal town of Redondo Beach, outside of Los Angeles.
Gin, a former city councilman who withdrew his support of President Bush during the last election because of his stance on gay marriage, irked the conservative group by accepting donations from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and the Log Cabin Republicans of California. The mailer the CRA sent reportedly said, “These liberal special interests are financing Gin's campaign because he is a liberal who will continue to push his hidden agenda. His reason? President Bush supports keeping marriage as it has always been — between a man and a woman — and that doesn't fit Gin's hidden agenda.”
Wow. The Republicans hate gays so much that they'll resort to calling one of their own a liberal! Gin said, “The results of the election show that folks over the years have judged me on my work and my service to the community and not on the basis of my sexual orientation.” Whatever the reason, to me this reveals the split between the socially moderate Republicans and those who subscribe to Bush's Christian agenda (the ethnic and social minority groups vs. the OC white conservatives), and it's this split that the Democrats need to work hard to capitalize on in the next elections.
Anti-gay Strategy Backfired [la times]
(thanks Alex)
