NOM BLOG

Setting the Election Results Record Straight: An open letter from Brian Brown to HRC Supporters

 

How’s your contribution to the Human Rights Campaign working out for you? You may have seen the screaming posts on their website nomexposed.org claiming that NOM lost most of the races we supposedly participated in during the 2010 election cycle. As far as we can tell, working on this website and shadowing NOM around at events are the only tangible work that the HRC does. Unfortunately for their donors, they can’t even get this right. Here are some things for the donors who give HRC over $40 million a year to consider about the 2010 elections:

HRC says NOM “lost more races than they won.” Really? We took out all three Supreme Court judges on the ballot in Iowa, and we won 13 of 16 state legislative races there, including flipping control of the Iowa House and bringing the Senate to within one vote. And we elected a pro-marriage governor. So Iowa will be pushing for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the next legislative session – and we have a ton of momentum to do just that. 

In Minnesota, NOM’s objective was to prevent backers of same-sex marriage from legalizing it in the next legislative session. We succeeded in Minnesota, winning 3 of 4 state legislative races. But in Minnesota we won control of not one but both legislative chambers. So there will be a major push to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in Minnesota – and we have a ton of momentum to do just that. 

By the way, a constitutional amendment in Minnesota does not require the approval of the next governor, Mark Dayton. It is strictly a legislative vote. 

In New Hampshire, NOM succeeded spectacularly, winning 30 of the 32 districts in which we participated including all 22 House Districts in which we participated. Because of the way New Hampshire elects House members, NOM helped elect 119 members to the New Hampshire House! Not only did we capture BOTH houses of the legislature, we captured a veto-proof majority in both houses. So while it is true that we came up short of our desire to take out John Lynch, that doesn’t matter now. We’ll work to repeal same-sex marriage and override a Lynch veto if necessary – and we have a ton of momentum to do just that. 

Thought you might be able to take another run at enacting gay marriage in Maine? Think again. NOM won 8 legislative races there and helped elect a pro-marriage Republican Governor and BOTH houses of the legislature.

NOM’s record of success in races in 2010 is just under 80%. Sure, we lost a couple here and there, but we won what we needed to win and we are in a position to go on offense. And what was HRC’s record in these critical races? Oh, that’s right. They didn’t participate in any of these elections. But they sure do have something going with that anti-NOM website don’t they?

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