Gay candidates anticipate breakthroughs on Nov. 4

By DAVID CRARY – 18 hours ago
In his liberal Colorado district, it's no big deal that Jared Polis
is gay. Yet his expected victory Nov. 4 in a congressional race would
be a historic milestone and, he hopes, send an encouraging message to
gay and lesbian young people nationwide.
Polis, a 33-year-old
entrepreneur who made millions creating Internet-based businesses, is
the Democratic nominee and overwhelming favorite in the 2nd District
encompassing his hometown of Boulder.
If he wins, he would be the
first openly gay man to win a seat in Congress as a non-incumbent.
There have been at least five other gays and lesbians in Congress,
including currently serving Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Tammy
Baldwin, D-Wis., but only Baldwin was open about her sexuality when
first elected.
"Sexual orientation has been a non-issue in our
district. ...If any of my opponents tried to raise it, it would
backfire," Polis said in a telephone interview.
"Outside the
district, it has taken on a larger significance," he added. "Young gays
and lesbians who might want to run for office look to examples and role
models."
Polis is one of a record 100 gay, lesbian and bisexual
candidates for federal, state and local offices winning endorsements
this year from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a national group
founded in 1991 to increase the number of openly gay elected officials.
The number has risen — steadily but slowly — to more than 420 out of
the nation's roughly 500,000 elected officials.
"We don't have to
accept sitting on the sidelines and hoping others will do the heavy
lifting," said the Victory Fund's president, Chuck Wolfe. "We can roll
up our sleeves and do it ourselves."
While Polis, Frank and
Baldwin are all heavy favorites, another congressional candidate
endorsed by the Victory Fund, Democrat Linda Ketner, is an underdog in
her race in South Carolina's 1st District, which includes Charleston
and other coastal communities.
Ketner, 58, whose father founded
the Food Lion grocery store chain, has been a major financial supporter
and organizer of several gay-rights campaigns, including a failed
attempt to defeat a ban-gay-marriage ballot measure in 2006.
However,
neither Ketner nor her opponent, four-term Republican incumbent Henry
Brown, has raised her sexual orientation as an election issue, and
Ketner's campaign has turned down requests for interviews that would
highlight the topic.
"She happens to be gay — she's not a gay candidate," said Tony Snell of the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement.
"Throughout
the South, there's softening on the gay issue," he said. "It's becoming
more of a non-issue as we look at the economy, we look at the war. ...
People are going to go beyond their old biases."
Among other noteworthy races:
_In
Oregon, state Sen. Kate Brown, who describes herself as bisexual, is
the Democratic candidate for secretary of state. That's the No. 2 job
in Oregon, which has no lieutenant governor.
_In one of the most
conservative states, Democrat Jim Roth is seeking election to the
three-member Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees energy,
transportation and utilities. In 2002, Roth became the first openly gay
man to win any elected office in Oklahoma — a county government post.
_In
Texas, Lupe Valdez faces tough opposition in her bid for re-election as
Dallas County sheriff. In 2004, she became the first woman, first
lesbian and first Latina sheriff.
_In Pennsylvania, the Victory
Fund has endorsed Kevin Lee, a Democratic candidate for the state House
of Representatives from suburban Philadelphia, and says he would — if
victorious — be the first openly gay legislator ever in the state.
Another
political milestone is approaching in Portland, Ore., which is
scheduled to become the nation's largest city with an openly gay mayor
when Sam Adams takes office in January. Adams averted the need for a
Nov. 4 runoff election by winning 58 percent of the vote against a
large field in first-round voting in May.
"I'm running not to be a gay mayor, but a great mayor," Adams said in his victory speech.
Polis
has taken a similar approach in his Colorado campaign, emphasizing his
entrepreneurial expertise and the education reforms he advocated during
six years on the State Board of Education.
"Candidates of any
minority have the additional challenge to show they're not just about
advocating the interest of their group," he said.
Colorado's 2nd
District seat has been held by the Democrats since 1975, and Polis'
toughest challenge likely came in a three-way primary, when he spent
more than $5 million of his own money to defeat former state Senate
president Joan Fitz-Gerald and conservationist Will Shafroth.
That
race divided Colorado's gay activists, since Fitz-Gerald had been among
their staunchest supporters. Software entrepreneur Tim Gill, whose
Denver-based foundation has given millions to gay-rights causes, backed
Fitz-Gerald.
During the primary campaign, Polis rarely drew
attention to the fact that he's gay, adding to the impact of his
jubilant victory celebration at which he introduced and embraced his
partner of five years, Marlon Reis.