Gay assemblyman
Mark Leno won the Democratic primary Tuesday night to
become the party's nominee for California's third district
senate seat, defeating lesbian incumbent Carole
Migden. The district -- which includes the eastern
neighborhoods of San Francisco, all of Marin County, and
part of Sonoma County -- is largely Democratic, so the
November election is practically a foregone
conclusion. Leno also defeated former
assemblyman Joe Nation.
"It's very
thrilling," Leno told the Bay Area
Reporter. "It's really a night of elation."
Migden was hurt
by accusations of campaign finance violations last year.
The scandal resulted in her being fined a record $350,000
for her financial indiscretions, which included using
surplus funds for personal use, according to the
Reporter.
If Leno wins the
seat in November, he will become the first openly gay
male state senator in California. He has already vowed
to work on defeating the upcoming November ballot
initiative that would amend the state constitution to
ban gay marriage and thereby nullify the California
supreme court's May 15 ruling instituting marriage equality.
Migden and Leno
once worked closely together and were considered allies
when they were both San Francisco city supervisors. In 2002,
however, Migden's decision to support former
supervisor Harry Britt instead of Leno for
her assembly seat caused a rift between two of
the most powerful gay legislators in Northern California.
(The Advocate)