State Conservative Party Chairman
Michael Long will not allow Janis Castaldi, a married lesbian
candidate for the New York state Senate, to run on his party's line.
Castaldi's campaign to unseat
Democratic Senator David Carlucci received the nod of the Republican
Party committees and Conservative Party branches in Westchester and
Rockland counties.
According to the New
York Daily News, the groups were unaware that Castaldi
married her wife in Connecticut in 2009.
“Castaldi needs a waiver from the
state Conservative Party to run on its line, since she is not
registered as a Conservative and the Senate district crosses county
lines,” the News reported.
“She may be the nicest person in the
world. She may be the most conservative person in the world,” Long
told the paper, “but we, the Conservative Party executive
committee, drew a line in the sand on the issue of same-sex marriage,
and anyone who is for it will not be getting our endorsement.”
Long added that the Westchester County
Conservative Party is no longer backing Castaldi's campaign.
Long had previously said his party
would not support any candidate who is not opposed to gay nuptials.
Erica Pelletreau, a spokesperson for
the Empire State Pride Agenda, the state's largest gay rights
advocate, called Long's dismissal of Castaldi's campaign a
“disturbing, vicious and mean-spirited attack.”