From the Washington Blade

4 gay candidates win in Maryland
Activists also hail O'Malley, Cardin victories

by Joshua Lynsen

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Maryland's gay rights activists are celebrating the victories of four openly gay candidates in this week's elections, along with wins by Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley for governor and Rep. Ben Cardin for the U.S. Senate.

The state elected its first openly gay state senator Tuesday. Rich Madaleno, a Montgomery County state delegate first elected in 2002, will represent District 18 in the state Senate. Madaleno took about 77 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.

"As a closeted college student who enjoyed politics, I thought I would be spending my career in the shadows as opposed to being able to be out, open, honest and elected," he said. "I'm very proud."

Three other openly gay, Democratic state office candidates claimed victory.

State delegate incumbents Anne Kaiser in District 14 (Montgomery County) and Maggie McIntosh in District 43 (Baltimore) reclaimed their seats.

Kaiser led her district's race for three seats with 22 percent of the vote. McIntosh took 29 percent, placing second among candidates for her district's three seats.

Equality Maryland Executive Director Dan Furmansky said voters recognized that Kaiser and McIntosh are strong legislators.

"Maggie McIntosh is a recognized leader in the House of Delegates, and often talked about as a potential next speaker of the House," he said. "And Anne Kaiser has quickly made a name for herself as a legislator who is issues-oriented and well-respected by colleagues."

Incumbents weren't the only winners. Former Takoma Park Councilmember Heather Mizeur won a delegate seat in District 20 (Montgomery County).

She took 31 percent of the vote, placing second in a race for her district's three seats.

"I think any time we are able to increase the LGBT voices in the legislature, we're able to break down barriers and make new friends and allies for our community," she said, "and that's a good thing."

Not all gay candidates posted victories. Tim Quinn lost his bid to unseat Republican Del. Jeannie Haddaway in District 37B (Dorchester and Wicomico counties).

Quinn, a restaurateur, faced an uphill battle along Maryland's conservative Eastern Shore. He took about 17 percent of the vote.

"We got trounced," he said. "It was an amazing campaign -- it really was. I feel for like the first time in there, getting 18 percent of the vote was really good, but we got trounced."

Furmansky said although Quinn lost, his campaign was an important step forward.

"He ran a great race and paved the way for himself or other candidates in the future to seek office in non-urban areas."

Furmansky said gay Marylanders scored another victory in the apparent defeat of vehemently anti-gay state Del. Don Dwyer. With 86 percent of his district's precincts reporting at press time, Dwyer was poised to lose his seat.

"Don Dwyer made homophobia his cause du jour for four years," Furmansky said. "It didn't resonate with voters, and people will take notice of that."

Equality Maryland also heralded victories by gay-friendly candidates in the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races.

O'Malley, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich. With 97 percent of precincts reporting, O'Malley had taken 53 percent to Ehrlich's 46 percent.

Ehrlich had endorsed an effort to amend the Maryland Constitution to ban same-sex marriage -- an effort that died in committee earlier this year.

O'Malley opposes amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. He supports civil unions, but opposes gay marriage. He also supports transgender anti-discrimination proposals and domestic partner benefits for state employees.

Cardin, meanwhile, bested Lt. Gov. Michael Steele in a hotly contested U.S. Senate race. Cardin took nearly 55 percent of the vote to Steele's 44 percent.

Steele is a vocal opponent of gay marriage. Cardin favors civil unions over equal marriage rights. Cardin received an 88 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign scorecard for the 109th congressional session.

Furmansky called Cardin's win "another major cause for celebration."

"Congressman Cardin has opposed a federal marriage amendment and amendment to the Maryland Constitution," he said, "and has co-sponsored bills to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and grant domestic partner benefits to federal employees."

Rick Bowers, chair of Defend Maryland Marriage, a group that backs a state amendment to ban gay marriage, said gay Marylanders still face an uphill battle in seeking equal marriage rights.

"I think that the general population still feels the same way as they did yesterday about gay marriage," he said. "The majority of Marylanders do not see it as a positive at this point."

But Madaleno said the O'Malley and Cardin victories, plus a win by gay-friendly Douglas Gansler in the attorney general's race, demonstrated the state's renewed commitment to fairness and equality.

"We've now elected a new governor, a new attorney general and a new U.S. senator -- all people who are committed to providing us with equal recognition of our relationships," he said. "Now the debate will not be if, but how, we recognize same-gender couples in Maryland."