A new Washington Blade article covers the latest incarnation of the discriminatory Federal Marriage Amendment, which would enshrine discrimination into the U.S. Constitution. U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R, GA-10) managed to get 29 co-sponsors for the bill, and we here in NJ were disappointed, if not at all surprised, to see that Rep. Scott Garrett (R, NJ-5) signed on, making him one of only two Northeastern co-sponsors.
As you might have heard, Garrett received a 100% rating from the American Conservative Union, putting him to the right of George W. Bush, and making him one of the two most conservative members of Congress, not only from the Northeast, but from anywhere in the country. NJ-5 is a largely suburban district that leans-R (Cook PVI R+4) but was represented by a pro-choice GOP woman for 20 years until 2002. The district is winnable for Democrats and has been added to this cycle's DCCC target map. By comparison, the recent special election wins in Louisiana and Mississippi were in districts with Cook PVIs of R+7 and R+10, respectively.
On LGBT issues overall, Garrett scores a ZERO on the Human Rights Campaign scorecard (pdf). LGBT rights is only one of many areas where Garrett makes a name for himself -- he was the ONLY legislator from above the Mason-Dixon line to vote against the Voting Rights Act reauthorization!
This is a change election, and Dennis Shulman represents a real change for NJ-5.
Dennis is an anti-war, pro-choice, LGBT-affirming candidate who just happens to be a blind rabbi-psychologist. Whereas Garrett consistently votes against LGBT equality, Dennis has "a vision of an inclusive America." The choice couldn't be starker.
We're proud to have the key support of Garden State Equality's chair Steven Goldstein and other pro-equality activists across the state and country. We're looking forward to mobilizing the entire LGBT community and the entire netroots community against Scott Garrett over the coming months.
If you care to support Dennis today, out netroots giant Howie Klein is sponsoring a "Pick Your Favorite Blue America Candidate" contest, and it only takes $1.01 to vote for Dennis!
I proudly work for Dennis Shulman. Cross-posted from Blue Jersey.