Wingspan Statement on Arizona Senate Debacle

Jim Burroway

June 28th, 2008

Jason Cianciotto, Wingspan’s Executive Director, reacted to yesterday’s shameful Senate vote with this statement:

In 2006, Arizona voters became the first in the nation to defeat an anti-marriage ballot measure. Today, our State Senate, led by President Tim Bee, rejected that democratic process in an attempt to distract voters from issues that truly have an impact on families, including the rising costs of food, gas, and healthcare.

Senator Bee is grossly mistaken if he thinks he can ride an anti-family agenda to victory in his campaign to unseat Gabrielle Giffords in Congressional District 8 — analysis of voting data from 2006 revealed that voters there rejected the first anti-marriage amendment by a 10 point margin, with 54.6% voting against Prop 107 and only 45.4% voting for it. This was an even wider margin than statewide results (51.8% vs. 48.2%).

The time has come for elected representatives and the anti-gay industry in Arizona to be held accountable for harming Arizona families. I came back home to Arizona two months ago ready for this fight. A political sea change is approaching this November, and our legislature is in store for a rude awakening. Just as we did in 2006, a broad coalition of Arizonans — young and old, men and women, gay and straight — will come together and defeat this ballot measure, again.

Steve Krotz

June 28th, 2008

YES! We will! And I agree that Senator Bee’s weakness and capitulation will herald the end of his political ambitions. He will forever be known as the vote that passed the resolution. What I would like to know is what, specifically, did the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) use as coercion and threats that Bee referred to.

Jason Cianciotto

June 28th, 2008

Steve,

I know that Bee was the target of multiple snail and email campaigns from CAP’s supporters as we all religious right organizations nationwide. CAP threatened that if Bee did not support the amendment, they would withhold their endorsement of his campaign to unseat Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Congressional District 8.

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