With less than a month to go until Election Day, Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club last week endorsed a handful of candidates, including U. S. Sen. Bob Casey.
The group’s membership endorsed eight new candidates at its Oct. 4 meeting.
The list included incumbents Casey, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (1st Dist.), state Sen. Daylin Leach (17th Dist.) and state Rep. James Roebuck (188th Dist.), as well as challengers George Badey, Kathy Boockvar, Kelly Devine and Will Sylianteng.
Badey and Boockvar are running against U.S. Reps. Pat Meehan (R-7th Dist.) and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-8th Dist.), respectively, while Devine and Sylianteng are challenging state Reps. Mike Vereb (R-150th Dist.) and Todd Stephens (R-151st Dist.), respectively.
The endorsement meeting was held at the William Way LGBT Community Center and included speeches by Badey, Devine, Sylianteng, Roebuck and a representative for Leach.
Members debated about a number of politicians, with most of the discussion focused on Casey and his views on marriage equality and abortion.
Casey supports civil unions, not marriage, for same-sex couples. He also opposes federal funding for abortion coverage. During the spring primary endorsement meeting, members chose not to endorse him but to revisit the idea in the fall.
“The membership noted his support of other issues central to the community,” Sara Jacobson, endorsement committee chairperson, said, noting that Casey has been in favor of LGBT inclusion in nondiscrimination, hate-crimes and antibullying laws, and the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”
Jacobson added the organization “noted that his opponent is far right-wing on all of the issues that matter to us, like abortion.”
Casey is being challenged by Tea Party-backed candidate Tom Smith.
Casey’s was the only vote to be cast by actual ballots instead of a voice vote.
Discussion also centered on Roebuck’s speech, in which he discussed Liberty City’s history of not supporting him and not supporting state Rep. Babette Josephs in the primary.
“Noting Rep. Roebuck’s history of supporting LGBT rights and other progressive causes, the membership nonetheless voted to endorse him,” Jacobson said.
For more information on Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club, visit www.libertycity.org/.