CUs Having Mixed Impact on GLBT Campaigns

by Jason Whipple

May you live in interesting times” runs an old Chinese curse.

Curse or blessing, Rev. Brendan Hadash expects to be doing just that this fall, as do many other GLBT candidates vying for seats in the legislature in the wake of passage of the civil unions law.

“There are a lot of Take Back Vermont and Ruth Dwyer signs up here in the Northeast Kingdom,” said Hadash. The Unitarian Universalist minister from St. Johnsbury said he’s yet to see much reaction, negative or positive, to his fledgling Democratic candidacy for an Essex-Orleans seat in the state Senate.

“But it will be interesting running as an openly gay man up here,” he said.

In the face of very vocal, very visible opposition to civil unions and civil-union-supporters under the Take Back Vermont banner, candidates’ expectations about the events of campaign season vary on that “interesting” theme, and widely.

Bob Bland, a Democratic candidate in the Orange 2 House race, is already facing his opposition quite literally: two Take Back Vermont signs have been posted on his own Vershire property, pointed directly at his home and his GLBT pride flag.

Bland refused to take down the signs, saying he would wait for the perpetrators to remove them. He hoped the incident would spur silent supporters into action.

“Lots of people are coming out of the woods to let the world know that hate folk are a small minority in this part of the world,” wrote Bland in an open letter to local papers.

Judith Lashof of Sudbury also hopes to capitalize on backlash to the backlash.

“Running for office as a lesbian now is exciting,” said Lashof, who is seeking a House seat in the Addison-Rutland-2 district. “I’ve gotten wonderful encouragement and support from the Democratic Party.” She said that many of her campaign volunteers and contributors have been motivated specifically by the issue.

In contrast, civil unions don’t seem to have figured into the Windsor-5 House race at all.

“I have been talking to voters about issues that they identify as being important to them: the cost of prescription drugs and Act 60,” said Randon Guy of Chester, a Democratic candidate in the Windsor-5 House race. “Civil unions are not a big issue here.”

State Senate candidate Jerry Acosta of Burlington said he’s aware the political climate is heated, and is prepared for negative reaction, but so far has seen none. Acosta said he does expect to be touted as “the gay candidate.”

And Karen Kerin, a Republican from South Royalton challenging Rep. Bernie Sanders for the state’s sole U.S. Congress seat, said the issue has not affected her campaign directly. Kerin said the issue will likely have an indirect and ongoing impact as part of the larger issue of perceived legislative unresponsiveness to the wishes of constituents.