November 5, 2014
Anti-Gay Candidates Win
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Anti-gay candidates performed well in the midterm elections Tuesday.
Greg Abbott was elected Governor of Texas with nearly 60 percent of the vote. He defeated Wendy Davis. As Texas Attorney General, Abbott defended the state's ban on same-sex marriage because it ensured the "survival of the human race."
Kansas re-elected Governor Sam Brownback with 49 percent of the vote. He edged out Democrat Paul Davis. Brownback has consistently received a zero score by the Human Rights Campaign on LGBT issues.
Joni Ernst won election to the U.S. Senate from Iowa Tuesday evening. Ernst, a Republican, said she would vote for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in the U.S. despite Iowa having same-sex marriage since 2009. She defeated Democrat Bruce Braley with 52 percent of the vote.
Thom Tillis won the race for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Tillis received thousands of dollars in funding from the notorious anti-gay group, National Organization for Marriage (NOM).
Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi cruised to re-election. Bondi has steadfastly defended the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
One bright spot for gays was the defeat of longtime nemesis Scott Lively. An Independent candidate for Massachusetts Governor, Lively received less than one percent of the vote. Lively has a long track record of anti-gay activity, including traveling to foreign countries to promote legislation that would criminalize homosexual conduct.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
