|
Thank
you Paul Meoni!... For running against Bruce Ayers!
Friends,
We
lost a local Quincy battle, but won a larger one for
Massachusetts. Paul Meoni, the pro-equality, pro-choice
candidate for Quincy/Randolph State Representative lost the
democratic primary to the
bigoted, incumbent Bruce Ayers. Overall we actually
gained more pro-equality democrats for MA November elections but,
in Quincy, it seems
that this is more of a popularity contest than a matter of
political issues.
I
had dedicated the day to holding signs for Paul from 6:00 AM
through 8:00 PM. I had conversations with people from Quincy
holding signs for Bruce Ayers, who were absolutely clueless on the political issues at
hand; especially the one issue closest to me. It
is clear that people do not even realize that same-gender
marriages are happening... legally... now!.. This is something
that I think our supporting organizations need to address.
As payment for my efforts, I found that
someone had smashed ice cream along the length of my car, to
dry in the hot sun.
Anyway,
I want to personally thank Paul Meoni for standing up for my
civil rights. There are now 24% of Quincy /Randolph
Democrats that Bruce Ayers will NEED to win over if he is going to win
the November election. Quite frankly, I am undecided as how
I will vote; we currently have a Democrat voting for the
republican agenda, perhaps we are better off having a republican
in office for 2 years, at least then the Representative's agenda
will be clear.
Notable
items this week:
Ayers
wins primary with 80% of vote in Quincy
By
FRED HANSON, The Patriot Ledger:
Backed by strong support in his hometown of Quincy, State
Rep. Bruce Ayers beat back a challenge from a newcomer upset
about his vote against gay marriage earlier this year.ers beat Paul
Meoni of Randolph, 3,235-1,001, in yesterday's Democratic
primary.
READ
THE FULL STORY
Message
From MassEquality:
Primary
elections yield victories for pro-equality candidates
Yesterday was a great day for equal marriage in Massachusetts!
Every incumbent who stood up for equality in the legislature won!
This sends a strong signal: a vote for equality is not only the right
vote; it is also a vote that constituents support.
Additionally, we picked up three new votes in the legislature.
Carl Sciortino, a 26-year-old openly gay public health leader, defeated
virulently anti-gay incumbent Vinny Ciampa to represent Somerville and
Medford! Since there is no Republican running in this race, Carl will
be our fourth openly gay legislator and a leader in our efforts to
defeat the Anti-Gay Amendment!
Steve Canessa, a leader on the Lakeville School Committee, defeated
anti-equality representative Mark Howland. With no Republican on the
ballot in his district, Steve will be the next Representative from
Freetown, Lakeville, Middleborough, New Bedford and Taunton.
John Keenan, a strong supporter of equal marriage rights, won the
primary to fill the seat left open by the retirement of anti-equality
representative Michael Ruane. John will face Republican David Summer
in the general election on November 2nd.
Lastly, we held on to an open seat in Framingham and Ashland that we
were in serious danger of losing. Write-in candidate Tom Sannicandro
defeated anti-gay Framingham city councilor Ginger Esty to hold on to
Karen Spilka's House seat.
We want to take this opportunity to thank you. Without the
exceptional work of supporters of equality volunteering for candidates and
contributing money, these successes never would have happened. Our
incumbents who faced serious challenges are grateful for the support of
our community and our allies.
One poignant example of your work: At 1:00 p.m. yesterday, we sent out
an urgent request to our activists in Somerville, Medford and parts of
Cambridge and Arlington, asking for volunteers to go to Carl Sciortino's
headquarters and help get out the vote. The campaign told us last night
that 40 people showed up and worked for the closing hours of the campaign.
Carl won by just 117 votes. This last push clearly made a difference.
We also want to thank candidates who pursued the very difficult task of
taking on incumbents. Several pro-equality challengers ran strong races
but fell short. These include: Mark Dowgiewicz, Sue Koeck, Anne
Manning, Rosemarie Mazza-Moriarty, Paul Meoni, Melissa Murgo, Ken
Sheehan, and Steve Smith.
Of course, while we celebrate yesterday's victories, we know that we
can't rest on our laurels. The November elections are now less than
seven weeks away, and they will be tougher. Many legislators who voted
proudly against adding discrimination to the constitution will be facing
tough, well-financed opponents. Governor Romney has committed to
raising unprecedented levels of funds to knock pro-equality Democrats
out of the legislature.
One way you can help today is by making a contribution to the Freedom to
Marry Political Action Committee. The PAC works to support pro-equality
legislators and to defeat anti-equality incumbents. Your support to
date has been strong. However, the battles ahead will be fierce.
http://FreedomToMarryPAC.org/donate.php
Thanks again for all of your support and hard work.
Together, we will win!
|