• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits
  • Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic
  • Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

Social Conservatives Threaten To Pull Support From MA GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Over Running Mate’s Stance On Gay Marriage

Sean Mandell December 8, 2013

Polito

Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker is facing heat from social conservatives within his own party after his running mate, Karyn Polito, endorsed gay marriage this week. The Boston Globe reports that though Polito had originally agreed to moderate her stance on gay marriage by saying she would "not work to undo the progress achieved over the last decade,” in essence taking a play out of Mitt Romney's handbook, who in his 1994 run for Teddy Kennedy's senate seat "described himself as 'personally opposed' to abortion, but promised not to challenge existing abortion law," that more pacifistic plan went out the window after Baker and Polito announced their ticket:

BakerThe issue quickly came to a head after Baker and Polito appeared at a Shrewsbury diner to announce their ticket on Tuesday. A Globe reporter then inquired of a Baker campaign aide about Polito's position on gay marriage. The aide, who did not want to be quoted, replied that Polito favored the current gay marriage law.

In an e-mail exchange, the Globe asked whether it would be fair to say she favored gay marriage, and the aide replied that it would. That exchange was reflected in a Globe article Wednesday.

That clear-cut declaration eliminated the carefully designed nuance and set off a firestorm within social conservative circles, where Polito has been very popular.

Conservative activists, who oppose Baker’s socially liberal views on gay marriage and abortion, had been ready to support him for his fiscal conservatism and out of a desire to wrest control of the corner office from Democrats.

Social conservatives in the party are now urging their "ideological colleagues" to switch their support to Baker's only Republican challenger at this time, Mark Fisher.

Baker previously ran for governor in 2010 against current incumbent Deval Patrick, who has said he would retire after 2014. Baker also drew the ire of some Republicans for choosing Richard Tisei, a gay, pro-choice candidate as his running mate in 2010. Earlier this year the Baker campaign distributed a flier at the state's GOP convention that voiced opposition to a proposed "transgender rights" bill co-sponsored by Tisei, prompting speculation Baker was eager to win back social conservatives. Baker's response?

“'I think a guy who supports gay marriage and is pro-choice and has been pretty clear on those and picked a gay fella as his running mate is pretty much not pandering to much of anybody,' he said, placing a hand on Tisei's shoulder."

Topics: News More Posts About: Massachusetts, Massachusetts, News, richard tisei, Richard Tisei

Related Posts
  • Maura Healey elected US’s first openly lesbian governor — Massachusetts
  • Russia Blocks Facebook, Accusing it of Restricting Access to Russian Media;
  • Duran Duran Has New Music And You Are About To Enjoy it. It’s 2021. Seriously.
  • Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

    Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

    Published by OK Magazine @jaafarjackson/instagram-jourdynn Jackson;mega Jaafar Jackson will represent his uncle’s honor in the upcoming biopic, Michael. The thrilling film — directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Oscar winner Graham Kingwill — will portray …Read More »
  • Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

    Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

    Published by Reuters By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday blocked New Jersey’s recently enacted bans on carrying guns at beaches or casinos, though she left in place other restrictions passed by the …Read More »
  • Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

    Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

    Published by Raw Story A Florida pastor vows to teach Black history at his church in defiance of the limits Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to place on classroom instruction. The Republican governor sparked backlash by rejecting …Read More »
  • ‘What’s The Big Deal?’: Ex-‘RHOA’ Star NeNe Leakes Says Son Brent Told Her He’s Not Gay After Viral TikTok Challenge

    ‘What’s The Big Deal?’: Ex-‘RHOA’ Star NeNe Leakes Says Son Brent Told Her He’s Not Gay After Viral TikTok Challenge

    Published by Radar Online @neneleakes/instagram; @kingbrentt/instagram Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes addressed speculation about her son Brent‘s sexuality after he sent the rumor mill into overdrive by participating in a viral TikTok challenge. RadarOnline.com …Read More »
Previous Post: « Railroad Companies to Offer Health Care Benefits to Same-Sex Spouses of Employees
Next Post: How Two Gay Guys Really Have Sex: VIDEO »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Secrets about Catholic priest’s 1966 murder unearthed by reporters in Buffalo

    Secrets about Catholic priest’s 1966 murder unearthed by reporters in Buffalo

  • Booker says he’ll keep trying to pass weed legislation even with House Republicans in charge

    Booker says he’ll keep trying to pass weed legislation even with House Republicans in charge

  • Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition blacklisting sparks outcry

    Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition blacklisting sparks outcry

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

    Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

  • Photographer insists Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre photo isn’t fake

    Photographer insists Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre photo isn’t fake

  • Ian ‘H’ Watkins now good friends with childhood celebrity crush Jason Donovan

    Ian ‘H’ Watkins now good friends with childhood celebrity crush Jason Donovan

RSS Partner Links

  • If Comic Book Movies Were Honest
  • Tennis Tuesday
  • Ha! GOP Tries To 'Distance' Themselves From 30% National Sales Tax
  • Cindy Williams, Plucky Shirley Feeney Of LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, BAFTA Nominee For AMERICAN GRAFFITI, Dies @ 75
  • Is This Why Madonna's Biopic was Cancelled? The Queen of Pop Reportedly Had a Different Vision for the Script
  • “Tom Brady lost 15 lbs with the stress of his divorce” links
  • Princess Kate launches new campaign: ‘Our early childhood shapes the rest of our lives’

Most Recent

  • U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits

    U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits

  • Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

    Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

  • Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

    Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

  • Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

    Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

  • ‘What’s The Big Deal?’: Ex-‘RHOA’ Star NeNe Leakes Says Son Brent Told Her He’s Not Gay After Viral TikTok Challenge

    ‘What’s The Big Deal?’: Ex-‘RHOA’ Star NeNe Leakes Says Son Brent Told Her He’s Not Gay After Viral TikTok Challenge

  • Rock Hudson’s Double Life: Arranged Marriage & Secret Male Lovers — How His Inner Circle Attempted To Keep His Gay Scandal Buried

    Rock Hudson’s Double Life: Arranged Marriage & Secret Male Lovers — How His Inner Circle Attempted To Keep His Gay Scandal Buried

  • Rep. George Santos vows to cooperate with ethics probe after meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy

    Rep. George Santos vows to cooperate with ethics probe after meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy

  • Carole Baskin’s Missing Husband’s Signature On Will Declared A Forgery By Experts As ‘Tiger King’ Star Claims Ex Was Found Alive In Costa Rica: Source

    Carole Baskin’s Missing Husband’s Signature On Will Declared A Forgery By Experts As ‘Tiger King’ Star Claims Ex Was Found Alive In Costa Rica: Source

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×