N.Y. Conservative Senator Loses Party Endorsement for Marriage Vote

A New York Republican senator is losing the backing of his local Conservative Party because he voted in favor of marriage equality last year.

In New York, a state that allows candidates to run on tickets for more than one political party, the Conservative Party largely backs Republican candidates. Instead of endorsing incumbent state senator Mark Grisanti, party chairman Ralph C. Lorigo said Grisanti no longer had the trust of the party after initially saying he was against marriage equality before voting for the bill in 2011.

Lorigo told The New York Times that he and his party affiliates felt betrayed by Grisanti's change of heart. He voted with fellow Republicans James Alesi, Roy McDonald, and Stephen Saland to approve the marriage equality bill in the GOP-controlled state Senate.

The party has instead endorsed Charles Swanick, a conservative Democrat who opposes marriage equality and pro-choice laws, while favoring fiscally conservative policies, according to the report.

The freshman senator won his seat after a close race; his district, in the western section of upstate New York, includes parts of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Senate majority leader Dean Skelos told the Times he was not worried about Grisanti's seat.