Antigay Republican lawmaker Bill Nojay, who was mired in legal troubles, died by suicide Friday morning, yet still won a primary race in in Western New York‘s 133rd Assembly district against challenger Rick Milne.
Nojay shot himself near his family plot in Rochester’s Riverside Cemetery.
Related: Antigay Politician Confronted By Gay Brother On Live TV (Video)
He was facing charges of fraud in Cambodia related to a $1 million investment in a proposed rice exporting operation gone bust and had been scheduled to appear in federal court Friday on fraud charges related to a $1.8 million trust fund he managed for a longtime client and friend, according to sources familiar with the case, the Democrat & Chronicle reports.
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The Republican Party now has ten days to find a replacement candidate to run against Democratic challenger Barbara Baer. The Conservative, Independence and Reform parties all face the same situation, since they also nominated Nojay. Milne, who stopped campaigning when he learned of Nojay’s death, has informed Republican Party chairmen that he wishes to be the nominee.
Nojay was an early supporter of Donald Trump, encouraging him to run for governor of New York in 2013. He served as the co-chairman of Trump’s New York campaign committee.
He was a conservative, representing a conservative district, and had an antigay voting record, twice voting in favor of conversion therapy.
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Milne had pitched himself as a less conservative alternative, saying he was in favor of gay marriage while appearing on a local radio show.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
The now deservingly dead almost indicted man said that we lived “immoral wicked lives”……………
Ukin Blome
Hear this christian conservatives: If you want to live in god’s world, this is how you get there.
trell
A far as Christians are concerned, isn’t suicide supposed to be the worst sin you can commit? if he had been caught being adulterous, he could have just cried & snivelled an apology, and would have been forgiven. When it comes to money, however, nobody forgives anything.
Good riddance. You weren’t the first rotten homophobic politician to are the cowards way out. You won’t be the last.
Jack Meoff
Bigoted anti-gay politicians, lawmakers and religious clerics have indirectly been responsible for many GLBT people being driven to suicide with their rhetoric and vitriol. I will never revel in anyone being driven to such desperation that they commit suicide even if they are a bigoted homophobe.
I do however want to point out the strength needed by the GLBT community to overcome and thrive in the face of such bigotry when many of our opponents seem ill equipped to deal with adversity when they are in the cross hairs. How well would anti-gay bigots fair if they were suddenly a maligned minority?
1EqualityUSA
He may have been afraid of prison. He broke the rules. Some feel entitled.