Oregon Senate candidate Monica Wehby
Three Republican congressional candidates are being
targeted by the far right for their support for marriage equality and abortion rights:
The National Organization for Marriage, Family Research Council Action, and CitizenLink “will mount a concerted effort to urge voters to refuse to cast ballots” for Republican House candidates Carl DeMaio in California and Richard Tisei in Massachusetts and Republican Senate candidate Monica Wehby in Oregon, according to a letter sent to Republican congressional and campaign leaders on Thursday.
“We cannot in good conscience urge our members and fellow citizens to support candidates like DeMaio, Tisei or Wehby,” the presidents of the three groups write. “They are wrong on critical, foundational issues of importance to the American people. Worse, as occupants of high office they will secure a platform in the media to advance their flawed ideology and serve as terrible role models for young people who will inevitably be encouraged to emulate them.”
DeMaio and Tisei are the only out LGBT federal candidates from the Republican Party to be appearing on the ballot this fall.
It doesn't feel like a coincidence that it's two gay men and a woman drawing this kind of ire from professional bigots. But even if these three candidates aren't 100 percent terrible on every single issue, they're still Republicans, which means that electing them would strengthen people like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. So if NOM and its buddies want to try to keep Republicans from turning out to vote for them, I for one welcome those efforts.