Gay Republican Candidate Doesn't Want Romney's Platform in Romney's Home State

Richard Tisei, Mitt Romney

When the Massachusetts Republican Party votes tonight on whether to follow the lead of their former governor, Mitt Romney, and adopt the national platform, out candidate Richard Tisei has put himself clearly in the "no" column.

The gay Republican who is trying to unseat Rep. John Tierney in the 6th congressional district wrote to Massachusetts party leaders, according to the Boston Globe, and asked them not to side with a platform that excludes people like him.

The national platform, adopted in Tampa, is written by a committee and not explictly by Romney, though his campaign is represented during negotiations. It calls same-sex marriage a contributing factor in the downfall of society and outlines a series of antigay views. And the Globe reports that Tisei says its positions mean it “espouses beliefs that exclude many in our party, includ­ing myself.”

"As a ‘live-and-let-live’ ­Republican," Tisei wrote, according to the Globe, "my philosophy is that the government should get off our backs, out of our wallets, and away from the bedroom."

It's not the first time that Tisei has tried to put some distance between himself and the Romney-Ryan ticket. After Ryan's selection as the vice presidential nominee, Tisei put out a statement making clear "I don't agree with him — or anyone else — on every single issue."

Tisei is down by seven percentage points in the latest polling from WBUR. If he wins, Tisei would become the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress.