Cuomo to Headline for Kruger

New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo (pictured, near right), a widely presumed but unannounced gubernatorial contender, will headline a fund-raiser next month for state senator Carl Kruger (far right), one of eight Democrats who voted against the marriage equality bill late last year.

News of the fund-raiser drew the ire of gay activist David Mixner, who expressed disappointment that Cuomo would support the state senate finance committee chairman at the event in Albany on March 8.

"Cuomo is the leading contender for the nomination for governor in New York," wrote Mixner. "He supports marriage equality as policy but evidently has no problem in assisting those who oppose it. Wonder if he would have been so quick if Kruger had voted against interfaith or interracial marriage. I don't think so. However, apparently it is totally fine to campaign and raise funds for a man who not only opposed marriage equality for the LGBT community but was hateful in his opposition."

Kruger, a Brooklyn Democrat, was the target of a protest by gay activists for his vote against marriage equality in December.

An adviser to Cuomo told Advocate.com that the fundraiser falls within the scope of the attorney general's role as a prominent statewide Democrat, and that Cuomo is a staunch marriage equality advocate.

"As a statewide elected Democrat, AG Cuomo regularly hosts events to support other Democrats, many of whom share his support for marriage equality," said Phil Singer in an e-mailed statement. "AG Cuomo is a longtime, active advocate for making marriage equality a reality and strongly disagrees with Senator Kruger's position on this issue."

Singer declined to comment on the question of Cuomo's presumed gubernatorial run.

"He's focused on being attorney general at this time," said Singer.