Congress' single gay man, Rep. Barney
Frank, and lesbian, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, juggernaut would be broken if
Jared Polis wins today's Colorado Democratic primary. If elected,
he would make history as the first elected openly gay representative,
joining Frank and Baldwin in the House.
Colorado's 2nd district,
which includes Boulder, is certain to vote Democratic in the general
election.
“The chances of a Republican winning
in this district are zero,” Bob Loevy, a professor of political
science at Colorado College, told Time.
While Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank
is open about his sexuality, he remained closeted for the first five
years of service in the House. Polis would make history as the first
openly gay man elected to the House.
Odds makers at ColoradoPol.com give the
Victory Fund endorsed candidate a 1 in 5 chance of winning tomorrow.
Sexual orientation has not been an
issue in the race. “There aren't many anti-gay votes to be found
in this election,” Loevy said.
“Sexual orientation shouldn't be a
barrier to participate in the public sphere,” said Polis. “It's
a difficult issue for my opponents to try to use against me overtly
without a backlash, but there have been some jabs, insinuations and
whisper campaigns.”
Polis, who has served for six years on
the Colorado State Board of Education, is no stranger to politics,
but he's better known for his philanthropic giving. He founded
schools both for the homeless and for immigrants with the millions he
accumulated from Internet companies ProFlowers.com and
BlueMountainArts.com.
He faces tough opposition today from
opponents Joan Fitz-Gerald and Will Shafroth. All three appear to be
closely tied, with Fitz-Gerald having a slight edge over Polis.
On the net: Jared Polis campaign at
www.polisforcongress.com