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Disclosure: I am a proud volunteer for the Charlie Ramos for State Senate campaign.
Today Empire State Pride Agenda endorsed Charlie Ramos for State Senate. This might not surprise some of you; Charlie is running against the fiercest opponent of marriage equality and LGBT rights in the New York State Senate. But it's not just that ESPA endorsed Charlie, but rather that Charlie was the only candidate running in a competitive Democratic primary to receive the endorsement of the organization at this time.
As we've discussed previously, there are many targets in the fight for marriage equality, including 6 Democrats that voted against marriage equality (excluding Monserrate and Onorato). We have competitive primaries against three of them; Diaz Sr., Huntley, and Stachowski. As we get closer and closer to the primary, progressive advocates will need to start choosing races to invest their time and resources in order to maximize our success this cycle. After all, we're competing in an environment with more targets than ever before.
That's why I'm supporting Charlie. Not only is Charlie running a strong grassroots campaign in the Bronx with a great legion of field volunteers, but he's also the best candidate to maximize our strike against opponents of marriage equality. Taking down Ruben Diaz Sr. will send the strongest message to swing votes in the State Senate that voting against equality is a losing issue and we'll come after you if you vote against it again. It's the maximum bang for our buck.
It's clear today that Empire State Pride Agenda figured that out. They join Stonewall Democrats and Marriage Equality New York from the LGBT front (as well as many other progressive organizations). Will more progressive and LGBT organizations get it and start supporting Charlie? Stay tuned. |
