NOM Targets Iowa Marriage Equality

The National Organization for Marriage, which has been instrumental in the passage of antigay ballot measures such as Proposition 8 in California, is now pouring money into Iowa to purchase political advertisements in a calculated effort to reverse marriage equality in the state, reports the Los Angeles Times.

NOM calls its work the "Reclaim Iowa Project," according to the Iowa LGBT rights group One Iowa. The effort is described as a "targeted intervention" into the politics of the state.

According to state records reported by the Iowa Independent on Friday, NOM recently purchased $86,068 worth of advertising to support Republican candidate Stephen Burgmeier in a special election for a Des Moines-area state house seat to be held on September 1.

Burgmeier opposes marriage equality, which the state supreme court legalized with a unanimous ruling in April. He wants voters to decide the issue, a position the new NOM-sponsored ad captures in the slogan "Give voters a say." Watch the video below.