NY Gay Marriage Foes Targeted

A new political action committee intends to defeat New York state senators who voted against the marriage equality bill late last year.

According to The New York Times, the PAC, called Fight Back New York, is ready to raise and spend in the high six figures in state senate races this year. Its first target will be Hiram Monserrate (pictured), who was expelled from office recently because of a misdemeanor assault conviction but wants to reclaim his seat in a special election next month.

"Financing and organization will come, in part, from some of the most politically sophisticated and financially powerful gay rights advocates in the country," reports the Times. "Tim Gill, a philanthropist and former software developer who has backed many gay rights initiatives nationwide, is a major player, along with some of his top associates and donors to his causes."

Gill and other donors contributed around $1 million to New York races in 2008 with the hope of getting same-sex marriage passed in a Democratic-controlled senate.

The website for the group, FightBackPAC.com, went live Thursday.

"While Fight Back New York has not decided which senators it will single out this fall, the group's organizers plan to focus on races where they believe the incumbent has a challenger who strongly supports gay rights," reports the Times.