Republican rebellion: Family group puts pro-gay GOPers on election notice

Republicans and traditional family activists upset by the ongoing push of party leaders to embrace the gay-rights crowd and support same-sex marriage are rising up and vowing an election year fight.

But it’s not only 2014 they’re looking at — they’re also eyeing 2016, The Hill reported. One race in particular that’s caught their attention: Sen. Rob Portman, who recently gave his support to the gay marriage issue last year.

The National Organization for Marriage, a traditional marriage group, has already started an attack campaign on openly gay Republican Party members seeking election — California’s Carl DeMaio and Massachusetts’ Richard Tisei, to name a few, The Hill reported. The group’s also looking to upset Oregon Senate nominee Monica Wehby’s race.

So far, the organization’s only raised a few thousand dollars to fight each race. But National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown said the hope is to raise enough to put $100,000 into each campaign, The Hill reported.

“These three candidates, Carl DeMaio, Richard Tisei and Monica Wehby all stand against the party platform and enough is enough,” Mr. Brown said, The Hill said. “We’ve decided it’s better to stand up and defeat Republicans who betrayed the party rather than walk lockstep for the party. It’s far more damaging long term to have Republicans like Carl DeMaio in Congress trying to, in his own words, ’redefine’ the Republican Party rather than accept a bad Democrat like [Rep.] Scott Peters.”

Other traditional marriage groups like the Family Research Council and Citizen Link are on board with the idea. The three groups just a few weeks ago sent an angry letter to Republican leadership to give a heads-up of their legislative mission if the party didn’t turn back its support of gay marriage.

Family Research Council hasn’t yet decided to lend financial support to the campaign effort.

“Do we help get a Republican elected who flew in the face of the section of the platform having to do with social issues? What do you do and how much do you protest after you make your case? NOM has taken the next step,” said FRC Action PAC President Connie Mackey, in The Hill. “We’re deciding whether or not to spend money on a protest. We’re not there yet.”