EqSD toot’s their horn on their endorsees who won. But what about the one who got pummelled?
From my mailbox:
LGBT FRIENDLY CANDIDATES WIN PRIMARIES
$5000 in Campaign Contributions is Excellent Investment
Seven of the 11 Lesbian/Gay/Bi-Sexual/Transgender (LGBT) friendly candidates endorsed by EqSD PAC won their primary races on June 3.
Lead Mayor Tom Nelson won the 3 way Republican primary for District 31 Senate with 38% of the vote. He faces Democrat and LGBT friendly candidate Nyla Griffith in the general election.
Four candidates running for House seats were the top vote getters in their districts:
* Darrell Solberg, Sioux Falls Democrat, received 41% of the District 11 votes;
* Martha Vanderlinde, Sioux Falls Democrat, received 56% of the District 15 votes;
* Larry Lucas, Mission Democrat, received 63% of the District 26A;
* Kevin Killer, Pine Ridge Democrat, received 31% of the votes in a 4 way District 27 race.Two EqSD PAC endorsed candidates also move on to the general election:
* Elaine Elliott, Aberdeen Democrat, received 39% of the District 2 votes;
* Jeff Nelsen, Rapid City Democrat, received 40% of the District 33 votes.EqSD PAC will endorse and provide funds to selected legislative candidates in the November general election who it believes have progressive views on LGBT issues. General election candidates have until June 10 to return their surveys to EqSD PAC.
“Our ratio of elective successes to failures seems about right to me,” says PAC member and Republican former legislator Don Frankenfeld of Rapid City. “We could easily have achieved a 100% success rate simply by backing obvious winners. But our goal was to back well-qualified candidates who could be strong advocates for equality in Pierre, and that meant taking some risks. In the general election, we will continue to look for candidates who exhibit courage, leadership and integrity, and we expect that our support will propel some of them to victory.”
EqSD PAC is the political action committee affiliate of Equality South Dakota (EqSD), a South Dakota non-profit corporation. EqSD PAC is a voluntary, non-profit, unincorporated association operating as a separate, segregated organization of EqSD.
As you can see, EqSD made note of the LGBT friendly candidates who they supported and won. On the Democratic side of things, they did just fine. But on the Republican side, it was 1 out of 4. And in one case, their endorsement specifically became an issue which seemed to have brought the campaign of the front runner in the contest to a screeching halt. Dick Brown’s campaign seemingly hit a brick wall the weekend before the election because of the EqSD endorsement.
Should we advise Republicans to tread carefully when picking what surveys they fill out? Or is there another reason Dick Brown’s campaign flamed out?
The floor is yours.
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Comments
Nationally:
The Dems support diluting the value of marrage, families and children. (Special rights for homosexuals, abortion, government run preschool.)
The Republican’s support helping and encouraging families, marriage and children. (Tax cuts, adoption, home preschools.)
Locally it is far more bipartisan but it stands to reason that the dems would find some far left wingers to run in the primary and the special rights for homosexuals group helping them outspend the opponents would help them along.
Yes, Brown crashed and burned because he took money from the anti-traditional marriage money brokers.
Brown got smoked because he’s an east-river elitist who portrayed himself as a west river conservative.
Epp’s contribution to him didn’t help, but it was one of only many missteps. Trying to come off as having been involved in the community of Custer for a long time was another.
Kevin Killer didn’t win because of an endorsement. He ran as a Democrat hailing from Pine Ridge while at the same time a known employee/supporter of Obama’s campaign, which benefited his candidacy. He is the least experienced of all candidates on the ticket for the entire state.
What his win amounts to is zero represntation for Haakon, Bennett and Jackson counties and likely ineffectiveness for Shannon county.
The reality is Democrats say the government should stay out of abortion issues in one breath while in the next ask government to get into gay issues.
The other three counties must support a candidate that will effectively represent all of District 27 and not merely ineffectively represent Pine Ridge. The ironey is Pine Ridge already has 200 million dollars of annual attention from the federal government. It is not fair to all of District 27 if the best Killer can do is represent homosexuals.
Homophobia is a dangerous thing, and one of those issues that’s hurting the GOP on a state and national level.
I remember the scene in the movie “Nixon,” where Rockefeller is talking to Nixon about Goldwater (a helluva guy, in my opinion) telling him, “Dick, don’t you get it? When we side with the radicals, we lose.”
A lesson there.
As usual, Bruce Whalen, who’s probably a nice guy, is off in left field on this issue, trying to spin it.
Homophobia? Fear of homos? I don’t fear homos, I just believe that lifestyle is bibically wrong. I feel sorry for them, most live shorter lives and actually have more illnesses, such as aids.
Am I afraid of them, no. Would I beat them or kill them? No. 10:04pm is right, Tony Dean, the liberal, should stick with what he knows something about, outdoor sports. And not try to label others with names that don’t fit.
Anonymous 10:36 - I don’t fear old people. I feel sorry for them. Living in their communes and practicing a leave the left hand turn blinker on lifestyle. Their diminished lifespans and propensity for illnesses like pneumonia. I don’t support any candidate endorsed by the AARP or businesses that give them cheap food. Would I kill one? No. But electing someone who would support laws against elder abuse or allowing them to co-habitate in sin? Not on my watch.
The idea that gays and lesbians have shorter lifespans has been debunked. And most people in the world dying from AIDS are not homosexuals.
Hey Tony, let’s have a heart to heart over a fishing trip. You sound in real need of a dose of understanding.
Dick Brown didn’t lose by much, and I one can easily make the case that the EqSD endorsement (and his opponent’s publicizing of it) led to his loss.
EqSD has to ask itself (themselves?): Does it make sense to issue endorsements in GOP primaries that, in all likelihood, HURT our preferred candidate? They were 1/4 in GOP primaries. It seems like a strategic blunder to me.
One can assume, I think, that most of the voters in GOP primaries (who are typically more conservative than the party as a whole) are not going to support much of the EqSD agenda.
I think what EqSD is doing is a great thing for the State. They are supporting great candidates and making South Dakotans from Pierre to Pine Ridge thing about what equality truly is.
The Bible I read preaches love, acceptance and inclusion. The Bible too many uninformed people read is some sort of abridged version that preaches hate and exclusion. Think about which one you’d rather read and live by.
EqSD PAC does not force its endorsements on candidates. The candidates first have to apply for the endorsement. Then after we decide to endorse a candidate, we ask the candidate if they want it and how they want it announced.
Obviously, we want to help the candidates we support, not help them. But whether they take the endorsement is up to the candidate. So far, none we’ve wanted to endorse have refused it.
Todd Epp
Chair
EqSD PAC http://pac.eqsd.org
Why, of course, we won’t have true equality unless we have transvestites teaching our children in elementary schools. It only makes sense. We want to love, accept and include all transvestites in all aspects our daily lives. It’s only right.
And we all know that homophobia is a sin. Gays are just like the rest of us. Except for the fact that they don’t suffer from hetero-phobia (I think I just invented a new word). They love us while we hate them, but they are normal just like us, but don’t have the hate we have, even though they are just like everybody else - or something like that.
And of course AIDS is a heterosexual disease. We invented it, inflicted it on homosexuals, and then caught it ourselves from bisexuals. It’s all normal. Promiscuous lifestyles have nothing to do with it.
It’s all nonsense.
Any and all groups are more than free to offer their support and endorsement of candidates. And candidates are more than free to accept or reject it. That’s the American way. I know that if EqualitySD is supporting one candidate then I would be more likely to support or vote for that candidate.
I resent attempts by some religious conservatives to enshrine their narrow-minded interpretation of the bible on eveyrone else, including Christans who welcome their gay brothers and sisters in Christ and support equal rights for them.
And since when does preventing families from forming being pro-family? IT seems many anti-gay folks push anti-family policies.
And talk of AIDS being a gay disease is total bunk as lesbians are the one group LEAST likely to get AIDS through sexual contact.
Jack,
One simple question for you.
Is God OK with homos?
Your answer will tell us how informed or uninformed you are.
Let’s not start counting victories until November. I can tell you that an endorsement of any Republican will hurt them more than it will help them, especially in a primary.
An Eppian slip of the tongue, perhaps. Regardless, you seem to at least acknowledge that some might be hurt by your endorsement, so you let them avoid that pain if they choose.
My guess is the more vocal you are about your support, the more they might be hurt. The best thing for your group would be to identify those candidates who believe in what you do, then slip them money and be quiet about it.
Epp - If what you say is true (and I assume it is), then I guess the onus is back on Dick Brown. What on earth possessed him to think that your groups endorsement would be helpful to him in a GOP primary in a conservative district?
I find it interesting that in the posts above, those with hate-based comments are most frequently written by someone jerk named “anonymous”.
Why doesn’t the bastard at least have the balls to tell us who he is; or, take the time to think of an interesting or witty blogger name. Otherwise, cowardly, hateful and dumb are the first three words that come quickly to mind.
endnote: to those offended by the word “bastard”…. homo is an offensive politically incorrect word. I’ll take out bastard when you change homo. Deal.
I hear ya, Evidence Based. Anon at 8:29 oughtta be like you and me, and sign his name to his post.
Even though neither her post nor my previous one is what I would consider “hate filled”. I think they are pragmatic questions for Mr. Epp. Who in press releases for his PAC is often referred to as “a straight lawyer from Harrisburg.” I guess because it’s important for us to know that.
What Dick Brown was thinking, I have no idea.
I received the legislative survey and letter from EQSD. It was borderline insulting. It went something like this…
Dear Candidate,
We have $5000 to divide up to anyone that will agree with us. Act fast or all the money will be gone. Did we say we had $5000 to give away?
Sincerely,
Todd Epp
Anon 9:24 p.m.
You are welcome to your opinion but insulting is not a word I’d use. I think we have the letter and survey information at http://pac.eqsd.org if you want to see what was sent. If it’s not there, I’d be happy to provide it to anyone who wants to read it.
However, as one reader suggested, we can only be so “quiet” about EqSD PAC endorsements. We have to report the contribution to the SDSOS. So does the candidate. The candidate can ask us to not mention our endorsement in our press release and ask us not to assist them in other ways.
We have had a number of Republican and Democratic candidates send in their surveys. If a candidate doesn’t want to respond, fine. We’re not looking to jam up a candidate who doesn’t respond because they might well be a friend and just not want or need our assistance.
As to being “quiet,” those days are gone, my friends.
And as to mentioning my sexual orientation, it can be important to the LGBT community. For a straight person like myself, it signals support to their cause. If it is a mention of a LGBT person, it shows their courage.
I also think there will come a day soon when no one will care one way or the other. But we’re not there yet.
Any other questions?
Todd Epp
Chair
EqSD PAC
Hey Todd,
I’m glad you are not looking to “jam up a candidate”.
Denial aint just a river in Egypt.
just sayin
Todd, I looked at the site but could not find your letter to the candidates. Can you cut and paste its contents here? Does anyone have the letter to share?
Here is the text of the letter we sent along with our surveys to all legislative candidates:
Dear (Candidate’s Name):
Congratulations on your candidacy for the South Dakota Legislature. We appreciate your commitment to public service and your dedication to making South Dakota a better place. Ultimately, we may assist your efforts with a contribution of up to $5,000.
Equality South Dakota (EqSD) and its affiliated Political Action Committee is a recently formed coalition of gay and straight South Dakotans, dedicated to equal rights for all South Dakotans, with a particular focus on those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). Our non-partisan PAC will support a number of legislative candidates this year, with a contribution of up to $5,000 and organizational resources as needed.
We expect to assist both Democrats and Republicans who demonstrate the integrity, leadership and courage that we believe will ultimately lead to the achievement of our goals. To that end, we ask you to respond to the survey included with this letter.
If you seek financial assistance for a primary campaign, we need to hear from you quickly, as we expect to hold our primary endorsement meeting on Wednesday, May 7. If you would like our support for a general election campaign, we need to hear from you by Tuesday, June 10.
If you would like to contact us with comments or questions before you complete the survey, please email Todd Epp or Don Frankenfeld. Todd is a Democrat and Don a Republican, but either would be happy to hear from you. Todd can be reached at: epplaw@gmail.com, while Don’s email address is donlfrank@mac.com.
We look forward to hearing from you, and we wish you success.
Sharon Ludwick Warner
Board Member
Is the South Dakota Democrat Party listing homosexual issues among its top ten of priority issues? I wonder how that resolution will be spun at convention!
I just added the cover letter in question to Equality South Dakota PAC’s website. You will find a link to it at http://www.pac.eqsd.org/endorsements.html . Thanks for all the interest.
89% of all AIDS cases in the United States–according to the CDC in Atlanta–are the result of HOMO (do you prefer queer) behaviors. In many states sodomy is still illegal. The Billions of dollars spent researching and fighting AIDS in the USA is spent on a disease which is 89% preventable by behavior change. The other 11% would become far less if the 89% were first taken care of because the 89% affect our blood supply etc. and cause AIDS that is not from HOMO behaviors.
It is the Economy: Since you seem to have an extremely liberal view of behavior, accidents are the leading cause of death in the U.S.–meaning the behavior of stupidity kills the most people. We should probably ban cars or at least stop spending on safety devices.
I don’t know of stats on ignorance but anecdotally you seem to be healthy. Microbes exploit niches, meaning human behavior relates to the natural spread of disease whether it’s colds or HIV. In your infinite wisdom, you could also explain how lesbians are a higher risk group than heterosexuals in the U.S.
HIV entered the human population from primates (around the ’30s). By your logic, we should ban hunting because such behavior (exposing oneself to blood of animals) leads to the spread of disease.
My earlier statement was that most AIDS cases in the world were not from homosexual transmission. Seventy-five percent of cases are due to heterosexual transmission. You bring up the U.S., but even then you can’t stop yourself from lying. Gay men or transmission by gay sex doesn’t even approach 89% of the cases in the U.S.–even if you add in gay men who were also injecting drug users. The greatest increase in the rate of transmission in the U.S. is from heterosexuals.
There may be sodomy laws on the books, but the Supreme Court found such laws unconstitutional several years back. Feel free to emerge from your cocoon of 1981.
How much HIV is being spread through the blood supply? HIV is thought to have spread from Africa, going to Haiti to the U.S. and to the rest of the world, including back to Africa. It found a toehold in the gay community in the U.S., but most transmission in the world is not from homosexual sex. To claim that absent gay men, AIDS would never have reached epidemic status is just making stuff up.
In addition to dollars spent on AIDS research in the U.S. preventing us from becoming like Africa (with 25% of the population infected in some countries) and destroying a generation of people, research has had the added benefit of providing insights into how to treat viral infections. In 1981, it was difficult to fathom any treatment for viruses.
Economy—
Just to be clear, I don’t think derrogatory language gets you very much credibility in these conversations, no matter where everyone else is on LGBT rights.
Also, sodomy is no longer banned in the United States. The Supreme Court ruled in 2003 in Lawrence v. Texas that the government has better things to do than police the sex lives of consenting adults. While I’m sure some states may still have these statutes on the books, they’re not enforcable.
Additionally, you might find it interesting that the demographic with the most new HIV diagnoses for the last several years has not been gay men, it’s been straight African-American women.
angie, in all seriousness, how did the men who infected the straight african-american women get aids, in the first place? do the studies reveal that? i have an idea, but i could be wrong. thanks, in advance, for the info.
I might be less likely to vote for someone if they are endorsed by this group. Just like some people were less likely not to vote for (and trashed) a Rapid City Councilman because he and his associates are pro-life — even though it was IRRELEVANT to being on the city council. The difference is that some people would consider me a bad person because I may not vote for a GLBT activist, but people who won’t support a pro-life candidate are “enlightened.” And I’ll bet there won’t be a campaign flier with “There’s something you should know about Patti Martinson.”
If you profile HIV-AIDS, and accept a non-PC reality, the facts are pretty simple.
If you don’t live in Africa, don’t live in a high population urban environment, don’t use needles, aren’t African-American, aren’t gay, aren’t bisexual, didn’t have a blood transfusion (especially in the early 80’s), and don’t practice anal birth control, the chances of heterosexuals contracting the disease are minuscule.
The politics of fear concerning AIDs, as practiced by the gay community (which is less than 5% of the U.S. population), should be exposed for what it is - nonsense.
Good thing EqSD doesn’t make endorsements in local races. They’d have a difficult time choosing in Ward 1 Rapid City, ha.