New York fights back, unseats Monserrate
Fight Back New York claimed victory last night, defeating anti-equality legislator Hiram Monserrate in favor of pro-marriage equality candidate José Peralta.
Fight Back New York is a state PAC dedicated to challenging anti-equality legislators that stood in the way of marriage equality in the Empire State.
From the Advocate:
One down, seven to go — that’s the mantra today for Fight Back New York, a political action committee focused solely on unseating state senators who voted against a same-sex marriage bill last year, especially the eight Democrats who failed to back marriage equality.
One of those Democratic senators, Hiram Monserrate, suffered a stinging defeat Tuesday in a special election, losing to pro-marriage Democratic assemblymember José Peralta 66% to 27%.
“First Target: Hiram Monserrate,” declared the Fight Back New York website prior to the race. Mission accomplished, no apologies.
“We’re at the point here in New York where patience is no longer a virtue. We’re not asking anymore,” said Valerie Berlin of Berlin Rosen Public Affairs, the political consulting firm that was hired to orchestrate the campaign against Democratic senator Hiram Monserrate.
The blowout was validation for a bolder, take-no-prisoners approach launched by wealthy LGBT equality activists who watched years of lobbying for a New York marriage bill go up in flames last summer when it was defeated 38-24 in the state senate. Progressive donors had also lavished hundreds of thousands of dollars on 2008 senate races in order to flip the chamber to Democratic control.
