Voters in California on Tuesday turned
their backs on two high-profile candidates that support the state's
ban on gay marriage, Proposition 8.
The state's Democratic attorney
general, Jerry Brown, who refused to defend the law, shut out his
Republican opponent Meg Whitman.
Whitman conceded defeat Tuesday night,
telling supporters the journey is ending “but our mission is not.”
The former eBay chief spent a record
$142 million of her personal fortune in her quest to become
California's first female governor.
In remarks made hours before speaking
at the opening of the state's three-day GOP convention in San Diego,
Whitman chided Brown for not defending Proposition 8.
She said Brown and Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger, who also refused to defend the law, had an obligation
to defend the Constitution and to “enable the judicial process to
go along.”
“So if I was governor, I would give
that ruling standing to be able to appeal to the circuit court,”
she said.
The state's largest gay rights
advocate, Equality California, had targeted Whitman for supporting
the gay marriage ban.
“Shame on Meg Whitman” for being
willing to spend possibly millions defending Proposition 8 when
California is suffering from big budget woes and high unemployment, a
male announcer says in an ad from the group.
Also going down in defeat was former HP
chief Carly Fiorina, who lost to incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer, a
Democrat, in Tuesday's election.
Boxer, a strong supporter of gay
rights, had reiterated throughout the campaign her support for
marriage equality.
Fiorina said during an hour-long debate
held at St. Mary's College that she believes marriage is between one
man and one woman, but expressed support for recognizing gay and
lesbian couples with civil unions.
“[A]ctually, the position I've
consistently espoused is consistent with that of our president and a
vast majority of senators in the U.S. Senate,” Fiorina said.
In defending a federal gay marriage
ban, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and Proposition 8, Fiorina
suggested that she's in favor of laws that limit marriage to
heterosexual unions.
Referring to the federal judge's recent
ruling that struck down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional, Fiorina
said it was “not appropriate” for a judge to overrule the will of
California voters who approved the measure in 2008.
Fiorina, however, enjoyed
the endorsement of gay GOP group GOProud. The
group targeted Boxer for ouster in a $50,000 television ad buy that
equated her, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Massachusetts Congressman
Barney Frank, who is openly gay, to the gossipy stars of Bravo's Real
Housewives reality franchise.