
CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who supports marriage equality, achieved an upset victory Tuesday in a special election for an upstate New York congressional seat.
Hochul competed for the 26th district seat vacated when Republican congressman Chris Lee resigned in February after it was revealed that he sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman on Craigslist. State assemblywoman Jane Corwin appeared to hold an early advantage in the conservative district that stretches from Buffalo to Rochester, but voter dissatisfaction with the GOP's plan to overhaul Medicare and the presence of Tea Party candidate Jack Davis helped propel Hochul to a win.
According to The New York Times, "Two months ago, the Democrat, Kathy Hochul, was considered an all-but-certain loser in the race against the Republican, Jane Corwin. But Ms. Hochul seized on the Republican's embrace of the proposal from Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, to overhaul Medicare, and she never let up."
Hochul won with 47% of the vote compared to 43% for Corwin and 9% for Davis, according to unofficial results reported by the Times.
The candidates did not devote much discussion to equality during the race, but their responses to a questionnaire posted last month by The Batavian indicate stark differences on the subject of marriage equality and the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Candidates were asked, "What is your position on marriage? Should the federal government involve itself on issues of who can marry whom? Should the federal government provide the same benefits to heterosexual couples as well as gay couples? Finally, should gay men and lesbians be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military?"
Hochul, an attorney endorsed by elected officials including U.S. senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, replied, "I don't think the federal government should involve itself on issues of who can marry whom, that needs to be determined by the states. I believe everyone should be afforded equal rights under federal law. I do support the civil institution of marriage for gay couples, with absolutely no requirements placed on religious institutions. Gay men and women, who want to fight to defend our freedom, should be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military."
Corwin, who voted against a marriage equality bill in the state assembly, said that marriage "should be defined as the union between one man and one woman" and said that Congress should have waited for more input from military leaders last year before voting to proceed with "don't ask, don't tell" repeal.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
31 Period Films of Lesbians and Bi Women in Love That Will Take You Back
December 09 2024 1:00 PM
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
These 15 major companies caved to the far right and stopped DEI programs
January 24 2025 1:11 PM
True
Latest Stories
Keith St Clare, pioneering gay magazine publisher, dead at 79
April 14 2025 6:34 PM
Bill Maher falls for Trump’s charm offensive and ends up as the real sphincter
April 14 2025 4:01 PM