Sep 05, 2008  |  By: CHRIS JOHNSON  | COMMENTS     

The Log Cabin Republicans officially threw their support behind Sen. John McCain in the GOP candidate’s bid for the White House this week amid festivities at the Republican National Convention.

The gay group announced its endorsement Tuesday during a “Big Tent Event.” The Log Cabin board voted 12-2 to endorse McCain the previous night.

In a statement Tuesday, Patrick Sammon, president of Log Cabin, said his organization would stand with McCain because the senator stood with Log Cabin in opposing the Federal Marriage Amendment when it came before Congress.

“Sen. McCain showed courage by bucking his own party’s leadership and the president — twice voting against the amendment,” Sammon said. “He gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor, calling the amendment ‘antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans.’”

The McCain campaign did not immediately comment on the endorsement.

Sammon told the Blade that the endorsement was “not an easy decision” and came after “a thorough discussion” with members across the country.

The Log Cabin president said officials from the McCain campaign came to Log Cabin’s “Big Tent Event” and thanked the organization for the endorsement.

McCain national political director Mike DuHaime and Republican National Committee Treasurer Tim Morgan told attendees that McCain understands that every vote is going to count in this election, Sammon said.

Log Cabin has not always stood by the GOP nominee. In 2004, the organization declined to endorse President Bush because of his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have amended the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex unions.

“I expect that Sen. McCain will get strong support from gay and lesbian voters — certainly more than President Bush got four years ago,” Sammon said.

Sammon said Log Cabin’s decision to endorse McCain during the convention is about on par with the timing for the organization’s endorsement decisions in previous election years, when Log Cabin made its endorsement declarations around the time of the GOP convention.

One reason Log Cabin endorsed McCain was that its “grassroots” members strongly supported him, Sammon said.

He said members view McCain as a maverick and an “inclusive Republican.” Sammon said these members are not necessarily making their decision to support McCain based on his gay rights positions.

“Gay and lesbian voters — like every other voter — don’t make their decision on one issue or another,” Sammon said. “Certainly gay rights are definitely a big part of the equation, but they also consider a candidate’s other positions on the important issues of the day — whether it’s energy policy, the economy, national security.”

He also said the endorsement was based on being able to make a case for gay rights to Sen. McCain if he is elected to the presidency.

The Log Cabin president said “we’ve seen in this movement that it’s a mistake to put all your eggs in one basket,” and that progress only happens if both Democrats and Republicans agree.

“There’s a 40-to-50 percent chance McCain wins this election, and I don’t think it’s good strategy for our community to be shut out for the next four or eight years,” he said.

The Log Cabin president said the perception that there won’t be progress on gay rights if McCain is elected president is a mistake because the candidate has “always shown a willingness to have an open mind on these issues” and is “not be afraid to be a maverick.”

Sammon said members of his organization don’t agree with McCain on every issue.

While he opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, McCain has supported “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which prohibits gay people from serving openly in the military. McCain also supports Proposition 8, a proposed initiative in California that would ban same-sex marriage in the state.

“Quite frankly, when we don’t agree with him, we’re going to speak out both in this campaign and when he’s elected,” Sammon said.

Prominent gay rights organizations were quick to comment on the Log Cabin endorsement and McCain’s choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

In a statement Tuesday, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said while McCain claims to be a maverick, “on matters of LGBT equality, he’s shown that he’s anything but.”

“The Human Rights Campaign endorses mavericks on both sides of the aisle — neither John McCain nor Sarah Palin is among them,” Solmonese said.

In another statement released Tuesday, Jon Hoadley, executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, said his organization “cannot more strongly disagree with supporting Senator John McCain.”

“John McCain and Sarah Palin continue to push a radical, anti-equality agenda at the request of the special interests that control their campaign ...