Oct 31, 2008  |  By: AMY CAVANAUGH  | COMMENTS     

With a few days to go before Election Day, several gay and gay-friendly candidates in races across the nation are eclipsing or closing in on their opponents.

One key race is the U.S. House contest from South Carolina’s 1st congressional district, where Democrat Linda Ketner is challenging incumbent Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.).

According to an Oct. 22 poll by Research 2000, Ketner, who is a lesbian, trailed Brown by 11 percentage points, with Brown earning 48 percent and Ketner taking 37 percent.

But an Oct. 27 poll by Survey USA had Brown leading Ketner, 50-45, with a margin of error of about 4 percent. Five percent of those surveyed were undecided. The poll also reported that 20 percent of likely voters are black, a group that Ketner leads 7 to 1, so a large black turnout on Election Day would benefit the Democratic challenger.

Hastings Wyman, the founding editor of Southern Political Report, said that the race is “leaning Republican, but only leaning,” and that Ketner can win.

“Fifty to 45 points is a weak lead for an incumbent,” he said. “She’s not the favorite, but she’s got a shot.”

Marty Rouse, national field director for the Human Rights Campaign, said that Ketner is “performing surprisingly well in a strong conservative district,” and it is “possible” for her to win.

Denis Dison, a Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund spokesperson, said the organization has been involved in Ketner’s campaign.

“She was endorsed early in the process, and we’ve been working with her ever since,” he said. “We have not made direct contributions, as we’re temporarily not a federal PAC, but we have done mailings for her. We were also paid by her campaign to do work for her with folks on our list who want to help fund openly LGBT candidates.”

Brown has held his seat since 2000. A Democrat did not challenge him in either 2002 or 2004, and in 2006 he carried 60 percent of the vote.

Brown voted last year against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and hate crimes legislation. He also voted in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004 and 2006.

Ketner, a businesswoman, is a founding member of South Carolina Equality and served on the organization’s board of directors for years. She is no longer on the board, but remains a major donor.
Ketner’s sexual orientation has not been an issue in this race, something that Wyman attributes to Charleston, one of South Carolina’s largest cities, being in the congressional district.

“Charleston is a port city, and it is traditionally not a fundamentalist Christian city,” he said. “I’m
not saying that Charleston is really liberal, as they’re generally fairly conservative, but they show some liberal sides.”

He noted that Charleston is “not Bob Jones territory, like the rest of the state is.”

“Charleston is like New Orleans,” he said. “They’re both port cities, and for whatever reason — history or geography — they’re much more socially liberal. And I think that helped her.”

Wyman noted that Ketner’s wealth and youth have been assets to her campaign, and that her victory would have a “major effect” on South Carolina state politics.

“If she wins, it would be an indication that the Republican Party’s platform of staunch social and fiscal concerns is no longer a winning combination,” he said.

New endorsements, reshaped races

Dison said the Victory Fund announced new endorsements this week, including support for Victor Raigoza, who is running for New Mexico state Senate against incumbent state Sen. John Ryan (R-Albuquerque).

As of Tuesday, the Victory Fund had endorsed 111 gay candidates for office.

Dison said that his organization was closely watching Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez’s bid for reelection. Valdez was elected in 2004, and she is the first Latina and the first out lesbian to be elected to her post.

Her opponent is Lowell Cannaday, a former chief of police for Irving, Texas.

“The Republicans had not lost the seat in three decades, so they have targeted this race to take back to the Republican column,” Dison said. “I’ve talked to political press there, and they’re saying that it looks like she has a good chance to take it back, but it’s not a done deal.”

Victory Fund is also tracking Garnet Lewis’ race for state representative in Michigan’s 98th District. Dison said that Lewis faced an “uphill battle,” and opponents have made an issue of her sexual orientation.

“A family advocate in the state released a press release this week calling attention to her gay affiliations and our endorsement,” he said. “They’re saying that she’s only running to be a gay activist in the House.”

Two other races ...