House Speaker John Boehner, a
Republican from Ohio, on Friday attended a fundraiser in Boston to
benefit Richard Tisei's bid to represent the people of Massachusetts'
Sixth District.
The 49-year-old Tisei announced in a
2009 Boston Globe interview before he was named Charlie
Baker's gubernatorial running mate that he is gay. Baker was
defeated by Democrat Deval Patrick.
Two years later, Tisei is running for
Congress and he has the backing of House Republican leaders.
Boehner's fundraiser took place at the
Taj Boston hotel and drew about 75 people, The
Boston Globe reported. Three candidates will benefit from
Boehner's appearance: Tisei, and Representatives Charles Bass and
Frank Guinta of New Hampshire.
Tisei is vying to unseat incumbent
Democrat John Tierney.
“I'm honored that the speaker would
come in and think highly enough of my race that he's willing to come
to Boston and participate in a joint fundraiser,” Tisei told the
paper. “Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and the Democratic leadership
are pulling out all the stops for John Tierney right now, so I
appreciate that help.”
House Republicans continue to pursue
anti-gay legislation and, at the direction of Boehner, House lawyers
are defending in at least 12 cases the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA), the 1996 federal law which defines marriage as a heterosexual
union.
If elected, Tisei, a former
Massachusetts state senator, would become the nation's first openly
gay Republican Congressman.