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candidate told to get out of race because he's gay

California
candidate told to get out of race because he's gay

California Democratic congressional candidate Brett Wagner said a group of two dozen party officials asked him to get out of the race so someone else could run against the incumbent, Republican representative Elton Gallegly. Wagner suggested that the Democratic leaders want him out because he is gay. He said he wants the group of officials booted from their positions within the party. Wagner said that during an emergency meeting of the Ventura County Democratic Party Central Committee on Monday night that the group made unfounded allegations that he had padded his resume, failed to report campaign donations, and used his nonprofit think tank for political purposes. "I try to be a good Democrat as best I can, and I try to be loyal to my party, so I'm reluctant to bring up the lingering homophobia that exists in the party. But, yes, I think this is part of it," Wagner told the Santa Barbara News-Press. Party officials in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties are concerned the controversy will detract from their efforts to defeat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's host of state propositions on the November ballot. They also worry that the issue will hurt anyone who wins the Democratic primary next June, upsetting their hope to unseat Gallegly, whose 24th congressional district stretches from Simi Valley to Vandenberg Air Force Base. Bob Handy, the party's regional director for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, apologized to Wagner and to party officials and said that he wanted to "resolve this and move forward." Wagner said he has no intention of stepping aside, adding that he wants those who signed the letter asking him to drop out removed from office for misusing their positions within the party. (AP)

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