In what should become a model for how LGBT activists deal with elected officials who vote against equal rights, Fight Back New York's campaign to defeat former State Senator Hiram Monserrate paid off big. Monserrate was defeated easily by Jose Peralta by a 3 -1 margin. Perralta is a member of the State Assembly who voted for marriage for same-sex couples three times.
Monserrate, who was convicted of a misdemeanor for an assault in which his girlfriend's face was slashed with a broken bottle, was one of 38 state senators who voted against the New York marriage bill last year. Monserrate's defeat is a clear message to politicians: vote against LGBT equality and use our families as political footballs and we will take you out.
From The New York Times:
Mr. Peralta, meanwhile, had a virtual army of outside supporters at his disposal, including union members, women's rights groups and gay activists, among them members of Fight Back New York, a well-financed political action committee that works to oust state senators who oppose same-sex marriage and put Mr. Monserrate first on its list.
Fight Back New York is a smart and aggressive new PAC focused on one thing: defeating anti-equality New York state senators. In a matter of weeks, Fight Back New York built a political machine that sent out nearly 100,000 pieces of hard-hitting direct mail to educate voters, made 10,000 targeted phone calls to prime voters, launched an aggressive online information campaign, and produced a powerful video message from Cynthia Nixon.
As Nixon says in the video, "We've tried the carrot. Now its time for the stick."
Fight Back New York's work doesn't end with the defeat of Hiram Monserrate. Its really the beginning.
From a recent Fight Back New York email:
In the next several weeks, we will together build a stronger, more robust campaign that will set its sights on where we can have the most impact for additional victories in the September primary elections and the November general elections. Each and every one of the remaining 37 New York State Senators who voted "no" to marriage equality-Democrats and Republicans-will be fair game.
Join with Fight Back New York to build a pro-equality state senate.
Donate to Fight Back New York.
Fan Fight Back New York on Facebook.
Follow Fight Back New York on Twitter.
Follow Michael Crawford on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dmcrawford
Congratulations on ridding yourself of one of the worst elected officials in the country. Peralta seems like an upgrade, including on LGBT issues. But let's not forget Peralta's own corruption scandal, in which he quite disgracefully funneled money to a fake non-profit, something he'll easily be able to do in the ethics free zone that is the NY State Senate. I hope that Fight Back New York is also thinking about a long term approach to combating endemic corruption, and not just backing the lesser of two evils race after race.
Fight Back New York did what any smart campaign would do. It tapped into the frustration and controversy surrounding Monserratte and used that in its direct mail pieces, phonebanking, and online outreach.
New Yorkers, including LGBT New Yorkers, had had enough of Monserratte's antics including his pandering to anti-gay voters and they showed him the door.