Democrats Courting Gay Voters
With their strongest advocate no longer running, South Florida's small but powerful gay community is assessing which Democratic gubernatorial candidate will best stand up for their cause.
By Lesley Clark, Miami Herald
When Scott Maddox was in the running for governor, gay Democrats in South Florida say they had little doubt about which candidate to support: The former state Democratic party chief forcefully denounced Florida's ban against gay adoption and even backed gay marriages -- a rarity among politicians.
Now that Maddox is no longer in the race, the small but politically powerful gay community is up for grabs. And observers suggest it may serve as a barometer for a larger South Florida voting bloc: activist Democrats who make up the party's most loyal base, many of whom preferred Maddox's often fiery, unapologetically liberal approach. This article continues
"We were all Scott Maddox supporters and now we've got to make a choice," said Ken Keechl, president of the Dolphin Democrats, which bills itself as the largest gay political group in the state.
Maddox, a former Tallahassee mayor, dropped out of the race two weeks ago, narrowing the race to two and throwing his support behind U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa. But many gay activists said they don't yet know enough about Davis or his rival in the Democratic primary, North Florida state Sen. Rod Smith, to pick sides.
Both men have stressed statewide electability and cast themselves as centrist Democrats -- Smith in particular touting himself as the candidate who can bring conservative North Florida voters back to the Democratic party.
But information about the two and their stances on social issues was so sketchy, Keechl said, he felt compelled to assure club members at a recent meeting that neither candidate was "homophobic" -- hardly a ringing endorsement.
The gay community "really had a champion with Scott," said Kirk Wagar, a Coral Gables fundraiser and Maddox supporter who said he, like many others, has yet to align with either remaining candidate. "And we're talking about engaged Democrats. People who vote in every election, right down to the municipal elections."
The gay community could prove a critical element in a tight Democratic primary. And its influence in a race where more than half of Democrats say they are uncommitted is already evident.
Davis and Smith, whom gay-rights advocates said offered only lukewarm statements of support months ago, pledged last week to work for the defeat of a proposed anti-gay-marriage constitutional amendment. That puts them starkly at odds with their Republican rivals, Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, both of whom have embraced the proposal.
"We're being courted," said Michael Albetta, the Fort Lauderdale-based president of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus, who said the interest from the two candidates spiked after Maddox dropped out.
But how long the courtship will last is unknown. A coalition of conservative Christian groups is looking to ask voters in November 2006 to ban gay and lesbian civil unions and same-sex marriages in Florida, creating a potentially hot button issue.
Many Democrats have suggested the party's only hope of taking the governor's mansion is by appealing to moderates and conservatives who dominate communities from Orlando and Tampa to Pensacola.
That tension is evident among many who suggest Maddox's stance would have turned off conservatives. Both Davis and Smith have sought to strike a moderate stance, saying that though they oppose the marriage-ban amendment, they also oppose gay marriage, which is already illegal in the state.
"Anyone in Florida who says they're in favor of gay marriage probably has zero chance of getting elected," said Gregory Ullman, a past president of Miami-Dade's Democratic Lesbian & Gay Caucus. "So am I looking for someone who's going to make me happy or someone who's going to be our governor? It's been a perpetual tension in our community, but a lot of people believe it's more important to look for someone generally sensitive to our issues, rather than being out in front of the parade, waving a banner.''
By Lesley Clark, Miami Herald
When Scott Maddox was in the running for governor, gay Democrats in South Florida say they had little doubt about which candidate to support: The former state Democratic party chief forcefully denounced Florida's ban against gay adoption and even backed gay marriages -- a rarity among politicians.
Now that Maddox is no longer in the race, the small but politically powerful gay community is up for grabs. And observers suggest it may serve as a barometer for a larger South Florida voting bloc: activist Democrats who make up the party's most loyal base, many of whom preferred Maddox's often fiery, unapologetically liberal approach. This article continues
"We were all Scott Maddox supporters and now we've got to make a choice," said Ken Keechl, president of the Dolphin Democrats, which bills itself as the largest gay political group in the state.
Maddox, a former Tallahassee mayor, dropped out of the race two weeks ago, narrowing the race to two and throwing his support behind U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa. But many gay activists said they don't yet know enough about Davis or his rival in the Democratic primary, North Florida state Sen. Rod Smith, to pick sides.
Both men have stressed statewide electability and cast themselves as centrist Democrats -- Smith in particular touting himself as the candidate who can bring conservative North Florida voters back to the Democratic party.
But information about the two and their stances on social issues was so sketchy, Keechl said, he felt compelled to assure club members at a recent meeting that neither candidate was "homophobic" -- hardly a ringing endorsement.
The gay community "really had a champion with Scott," said Kirk Wagar, a Coral Gables fundraiser and Maddox supporter who said he, like many others, has yet to align with either remaining candidate. "And we're talking about engaged Democrats. People who vote in every election, right down to the municipal elections."
The gay community could prove a critical element in a tight Democratic primary. And its influence in a race where more than half of Democrats say they are uncommitted is already evident.
Davis and Smith, whom gay-rights advocates said offered only lukewarm statements of support months ago, pledged last week to work for the defeat of a proposed anti-gay-marriage constitutional amendment. That puts them starkly at odds with their Republican rivals, Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, both of whom have embraced the proposal.
"We're being courted," said Michael Albetta, the Fort Lauderdale-based president of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus, who said the interest from the two candidates spiked after Maddox dropped out.
But how long the courtship will last is unknown. A coalition of conservative Christian groups is looking to ask voters in November 2006 to ban gay and lesbian civil unions and same-sex marriages in Florida, creating a potentially hot button issue.
Many Democrats have suggested the party's only hope of taking the governor's mansion is by appealing to moderates and conservatives who dominate communities from Orlando and Tampa to Pensacola.
That tension is evident among many who suggest Maddox's stance would have turned off conservatives. Both Davis and Smith have sought to strike a moderate stance, saying that though they oppose the marriage-ban amendment, they also oppose gay marriage, which is already illegal in the state.
"Anyone in Florida who says they're in favor of gay marriage probably has zero chance of getting elected," said Gregory Ullman, a past president of Miami-Dade's Democratic Lesbian & Gay Caucus. "So am I looking for someone who's going to make me happy or someone who's going to be our governor? It's been a perpetual tension in our community, but a lot of people believe it's more important to look for someone generally sensitive to our issues, rather than being out in front of the parade, waving a banner.''
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