Just when you thought Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson couldn't get any worse, she makes a blatant appeal to right-wing homophobia in a last-ditch effort to squeak out a win.
Anderson, Houston's head prosecutor, is desperate to win re-election. So desperate, in fact, that the Republican is using her opponent Kim Ogg's sexual orientation to insinuate that Ogg, a Democrat, is not fit to lead.
From the Houston Press:
The comments came during an interview on the American Chronicle podcast last week, in which Anderson answered some questions from host Vlad Daviduik about political backlash she has faced in a couple abortion-related criminal cases since taking office. Daviduik noted that some pro-life conservatives or activists are not voting for Anderson because of her decisions to not indict a controversial doctor accused of performing late-term abortions, and her decision to indict two anti-abortion activists who made sting videos accusing Planned Parenthood of selling fetal tissue. […]
"We filed over 116,000 cases last year. That's about how many we file every year. They [pro-life activists] have a problem with me on one, maybe two cases. When they get a liberal, pro-choice lesbian district attorney, I wonder how many cases they'll have problems with her.
Trying to divert conservative's attention away from her record on abortion cases by bringing up the fact that Kim Ogg is a lesbian? Anderson never fails to go low.
Even before her comments on last week's podcast, there were rumors of a whisper campaign against Ogg on this very issue. One local blog published "a couple of emails that were being circulated in some Republican clubs and church groups" including one "signed by Carolyn Vance, wife of former District Attorney Carol Vance." An excerpt from that email:
I have been told that Kim Ogg was a good prosecutor in her time at the DA’s office, but I have also been told that she is a lesbian and has a partner. Having seen our lesbian former mayor marrying her partner and kissing her in public, plus remembering her unrighteous stand on the bathroom issue – all of that leads me to believe that Devon Anderson will get my vote! I did not like it when David Daledin and his assistant were charged by the Grand Jury, but my husband has explained how a Grand Jury works and is not under the control of the DA. I will try to get him to write that out for us so we will understand and not blame Devon for it.
Praying for the Lord to intervene in all of the elections! Carolyn”
(Daleidin is one of the anti-abortion activists who was indicted by a grand jury. His charges were later dismissed. Annise Parker is the former mayor of Houston who was also the first openly gay mayor of Houston.)
The email kind of speaks for itself, as everything about it reeks of homophobic fear mongering. It's not clear that Anderson knew about or encouraged the dissemination of these emails, but she hasn’t denounced them, either. Why would she? She's clearly not above using the fact that Ogg is a lesbian against her.
Not that a person's sexual orientation is ever relevant to their role as a public official, but this is especially true for this election. Ogg is running for district attorney. The relationship between this job and a person's sexual orientation is nonexistent. But Anderson wants a win, even if it’s a dirty one.
Ogg and Anderson face off on Nov. 8. Tell all your Harris County friends.