Hey John,
Yesterday, you heard from U.S. Congressman-elect Ritchie Torres about his campaign to beat known bigot Rubén Díaz Sr. and how an LGBTQ candidate can win when they’re able to define their campaigns to voters.
I’m here to tell you about the opposite scenario – and what happened in my campaign for Congress. I faced a political hit job when a local Massachusetts College Democrats chapter released a letter with anonymous and vague allegations claiming I had made a few students “uncomfortable” and hinted at more serious allegations.
As was eventually proven, the entire thing was a stunt: the allegations were false and politically motivated. Certain groups just wanted me out of the race. But the letter – and subsequent alarmist headlines – hit just as ballots were sent to voters’ mailboxes. Many voters, misled by a homophobic smear campaign, cast their ballot with bad information in front of them. These stories certainly influenced and upended the campaign.
Though Victory Fund stood by me and we corrected the record, it was too late for my campaign. But we certainly made sure the people who used homophobic tactics will think twice next time – as Victory Fund and my team exposed them for what they were. In the end, they received much more negative press than I did and we started a national conversation on homophobia in campaigning. Yet that isn’t enough. We need to do even better next time. We must find the resources to do even better in defending future candidates against baseless, bigoted attacks. Will you help Victory Fund continue doing this essential work today?
Bigots highlight an LGBTQ person’s sexuality or relationships to try and scare voters into thinking LGBTQ people are predatory. It’s a sad fact that when some voters are bombarded with homophobic dog whistles about an LGBTQ candidate, it can stop them from supporting their campaign. No matter their policies or their plans or how hard they’ve worked for the people they want to serve. This year, bigoted attacks worked in places like Texas, Michigan and Massachusetts. They almost worked in Florida, Colorado and California.
My story shouldn’t be used as a cautionary tale to scare an LGBTQ candidate into sitting on the sidelines. We can show these bigots that attacks like these are a waste of money – and show future LGBTQ candidates that we’re standing with them. And it starts with ensuring Victory Fund has the resources they need to stop bigots in their tracks. Will you chip in today to make it happen?
There’s more work to do – thank you for supporting us as we do it.
Best,
Mayor Alex Morse
