LOCAL

Anti-gay Va. delegate eyes Senate seat
Marshall, co-author of marriage amendment, announces campaign

CHRIS JOHNSON
Friday, January 18, 2008

A conservative Republican has announced his intent to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, leaving many gay Virginians, even Republicans, howling with fury.

Del. Bob Marshall announced his candidacy at a news conference in Richmond, Va., last week.

Marshall was an author of the Marshall-Newman amendment to the Virginia state Constitution, which was approved by Virginia voters in 2006. The amendment defines marriage in Virginia as an agreement between one man and one woman. Many have criticized the amendment for not only restricting marriage but also other rights for non-married Virginia couples.

“He’s just, I think, an awful person and just an embarrassment to the Republican Party and I think a lot of elected legislators feel the same way,” said David Lampo, vice president of the Virginia Log Cabin Republicans.

In 2004, Marshall also sponsored the marriage affirmation bill, which was passed into law over then-Virginia Gov. Mark Warner’s objections. The law prohibits Virginia law from recognizing out-of-state civil unions.

At a Jan. 8 news conference, he said the foremost issues in his campaign will be “protecting the right to life for unborn children,” restoring “respect for traditional marriage,” closing the federal deficit, keeping taxes low and ending U.S. occupation of Iraq, according to the Washington Post.

Marshall’s office did not return Blade calls this week.

Lampo derided Marshall for his anti-gay and other positions.

“He is clearly, I think, at odds with the core Republican principles of limited government and personal freedom — no matter how he tries to spin his positions,” he said.

Lampo said Marshall comes from the “theocrat wing of the party” to which the Log Cabin Republicans are opposed.

Marshall, 63, a former Democrat and John Kennedy-supporter in 1960, switched to the Republican Party in 1972 because of disappointment with George McGovern’s presidential campaign.

Dyana Mason, executive director of Equality Virginia, called Marshall “one of the most anti-gay members of the Virginia Legislature.”

“He has just consistently opposed our efforts to move Virginia forward,” she said.

Sultan Shakir, regional director for Human Rights Campaign, noted Marshall’s record as a state delegate and said he would “be terrible not only for the GLBT community but for the entire state in general and the entire national community.”

For former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, Marshall’s competitor for the Republican nomination, Lampo has less caustic remarks.

“I don’t really know a lot about his personal views,” Lampo said. “He doesn’t have the sort of overt anti-gay record that Marshall does.”

Lampo said Gilmore “steered clear” of social issues when he was Virginia governor from 1998 to 2002, but also hasn’t spoken out about the “value of equality” in Virginia. Gilmore has become a divisive figure since he left the governorship and evokes strong partisan feelings, Lampo said.

“Rightly or wrongly, he was sort of blamed for some of the state’s fiscal problems, so I think he’s going to have a really tough road,” Lampo said.

Lampo said he is not optimistic Gilmore would have a favorable view toward gay issues considering the conservative wing of the Republican Party that he traditionally supports.

Gilmore spokesperson Ana Gamonal said Gilmore would be the best candidate to represent Virginia because he did a good job of growing the economy while he was governor.

“He thinks senators should be principled and be folks who keep their promises,” Gamonal said, referring to how Warner’s restructured tax policy, which she said raised taxes, even though he promised in his campaign not to do so.

Gamonal called Warner a “tax-and-spend liberal” and said he “raided” Virginia’s treasury after it was filled by Gilmore.

Gamonal would not discuss Gilmore’s opinion of Marshall and said Gilmore is more focused on defeating Warner.

When asked why the Virginia gay community should support Gilmore’s candidacy, Gamonal said individuals of all communities are interested in seeing their country grow and keeping leaders accountable to their promises.

Gamonal declined to discuss how Gilmore would vote on gay-related legislation such as employment discrimination, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” or hate crimes.

Lampo said he could not imagine that Gilmore would not win over Marshall for the Republican nomination, but predicted that Gilmore would have difficulty winning against Warner, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Warner spokesperson Kevin Hall predicts the gay community will be interested in voting for Warner because he supported the community during his tenure as governor.

“Gov. Warner’s administration was the most inclusive in modern Virginia history,” he said. “Gov. Warner has never been afraid to stand up for the civil rights of minority communities.”

However, when asked whether Warner would as senator support a hate crimes or an employment non-discrimination bill, Hall said Warner “would need to see specific language before offering an opinion.”

With regard to ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which prevents gays from serving openly in the U.S. military, Hall said “Warner is prepared to sit down with military and other officials as he reaches a decision on whether the policy is working.”

Hall said Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization working to repeal “Don’t Ask,” has contacted Warner and he is interested in the organization’s view.

In 2005, Warner as governor issued an executive order banning discrimination in Virginia state government based on sexual orientation. In 2004, Warner attempted to amend the marriage affirmation bill to strip language that would threaten private contractual rights. The Virginia Legislature, however, rejected these amendments.

Warner also in 2006 opposed the Virginia state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Charley Conrad, president of the Virginia Partisans Gay & Lesbian Democratic Club, said his organization is “100 percent behind” Warner. Conrad said Warner “has always been a friend to our community.”

Conrad said the day after Warner was inaugurated as governor, Warner and his chief of staff held a meeting with about 10 to 15 members of the gay community.

“He told us it was a historic meeting because it was the first time that a sitting governor had ever had a meeting with representatives from the GLBT community,” Conrad said.

Mason said when Warner was governor, Equality Virginia always had “the opportunity to share our positions with him, which we always found very helpful.”

A January poll by Rasmussen Reports on the Senate race in Virginia predicts that Warner would defeat Gilmore in the election by several percentage points. The poll indicates Warner would win with 53 points to Gilmore’s 38.

Warner is not the only candidate in contention for the Democratic nomination. Julien Modica, founder of the JMA Brain Trauma Recovery and Policy Institute, is also running for the nomination. Modica suffered a head injury in high school and is running on the issue of providing medical assistance to Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans returning home with brain injuries.

The Republican Party will choose its nominee at a special convention in late May or June. If the Democrats decide to have a primary for their nomination, it would be June 10.

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