Koering Nail Biter, What’s Your Take?
As an openly gay man, Minnesota Republican Senator Paul Koering (pictured) stands on shaky ground. Effectively forced out of the closet after lending his voice to Democrats opposing the proposed gay marriage ban, Koering drew the homophobe spotlight among his constituency, a family-loving, largely Catholic swab of central Minnesota.
Up for reelection, Koering stands to lose the party support in September 12, primary to fellow Republican Kevin Goedker. It’s a nail biter, that’s for sure, but particularly so when you consider the myriad opinions among voters.
According to The New York Blade, Barb Christensen insists, “I would never support someone who was openly gay, just like I would never support someone who was in an adulterous affair, or someone I knew to be dishonest.”
Meanwhile, retiree Milt Halverson pledges his support to Koering: “I think he tried to vote his conscience. I don’t vote for the issues, I vote for the man.”
(Koering, for the record, upholds gun and property rights, loves veterans, and disagrees with abortion.)
According to The Victory Fund, only 325 elected officials out of 511,000 are openly gay, or about .06%. Obviously, we need more openly gay politicians. With Koering’s seat on the line, we ask you what’s more important: openly gay politicians winning seats or stance hot-button issues like abortion?
Gay Republican Tests Party Faithful in Minnesota Primary Fight [The New York Blade]
I’d have to go with the gay repub over abortion. I’m pro-choice but I have to put our issues first. Feminists have more clout than we do nationally, they can take care of themselves.
Voting on issues like abortion is a sure way to elect the wrong person. Stuff like that is meant to divide and confuse — obscuring the bigger picture.
I would say go for the gay republican in the primary, but vote for the Democrat in the General Election. With a Dem majority the legislature won’t deal with anti-gay legistation because the majority party dictates what gets debated. Further, as abortion is a single voter issues, so is the orientation of a particular polition . . . whats important for now is to bring the Dem majority back, then push them to bring forth pro-gay legislation.
I don’t think it’s a case of what’s more important to us – gay rights or abortion rights.
The choice in this race is between two anti-abortion candidates: one is gay and stands up for our causes (he’s also widely considered a GOP centrist, btw) and the other is a Catholic, anti-gay extremist who’d rather see us shot. There ain’t much of a contest, really.
Oh, and if the LGBT community doesn’t rally around Koering now, what chance do you think we have of persuading any other closeted Republican office-holders to come out? None, that’s how much.
We all have a duty to support Koering.
Brendan has the first bit right: vote for the gay R in the primaries, but elect the D. We don’t want gay republicans. Gay republicans, moderate or otherwise, still cast their vote for Denni Hastert for Speaker, and Bill Frist for Senate Majority Leader. They decide the agendas, and they *are* extremists.
If you think that there are enough gays anywhere to get the Republican majority to elect a pro-gay (or even merely *not anti-gay*) leader, please refrain from voting.
He disagrees with abortion? Does it not sit well with him?