NOM Vows to Unseat Pro-Gay GOP

The antigay National Organization for Marriage, which has been slow to gain traction in New York and other Northeast states, vowed to spend $500,000 on a primary campaign against any Republican who votes for marriage equality in the New York state senate, Ben Smith at Politico.com reported on Wednesday. NOM also pledged general election assistance to Democrats who vote against the bill, with all help coming from its newly formed NOM PAC New York.

"The first half million dollars will be used in GOP primaries," NOM executive director Brian Brown said in a press release, "but we are also looking to aid Democratic candidates who want to buck the establishment on the marriage issue, and to help in general election contests."

NOM claims that it has raised more than $6 million since it was created in 2007, with nearly $2 million devoted to Prop. 8 in California.

A bill to legalize same-sex marriage passed the New York assembly in May and awaits consideration in the senate, where all legislation currently is stalled due to an unresolved leadership crisis. The delay aside, the fate of the legislation is widely acknowledged to depend on bipartisan support in the 62-member chamber, where majorities are narrow. No senate Republicans have announced they would vote for the marriage equality bill, but leader Dean Skelos told his members in April that they would be free to vote their conscience on the issue.

The challenge from NOM would seem to defy recent history, as every assemblymember -- Democrat and Republican -- who voted for marriage equality when it first passed that chamber in 2007, then ran for reelection, was returned to office.Log Cabin Republicans of New York spokesman Gregory Angelo e-mailed Advocate.com with the following response to news of the NOM challenge.

"To date 58 Republican state legislators have voted for marriage equality across the country -- and not a single pro-marriage legislator, of either party, has ever lost reelection because of their vote. Log Cabin is proud to support Republican legislators who stand up for equal rights and we will continue to do so."