The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) has pledged $1 million to oppose any Republicans who vote in
favor of a gay marriage bill in Maryland.
The nation's most vociferous opponent
of the institution announced Wednesday the formation of a political
action committee in Maryland.
The group said it would use the fund to
defend anti-gay marriage Democrats and oppose pro-gay marriage
Republicans.
“It's become quiet clear in recent
days in Maryland that the Democratic leadership and the same-sex
'marriage' lobby will resort to any tactic, including threats and
intimidation, to coerce Democratic legislators to support their
agenda,” said NOM President Brian Brown in a statement. “We want
to be sure those courageous Democrats who cast their votes of
conscience in favor of marriage will have a strong supporter if the
radical gay activists come after them in their next primary
election.”
Maryland is poised to become the sixth
state to legalize gay marriage after the Senate voted in favor of a
gay marriage bill and the
House gave its preliminary OK on Wednesday. A final vote is
expected as early as Friday.
The group created a similar fund in
2009 to target the campaigns of New York lawmakers.
NOM added that it would target for
defeat Senator Allan Kittleman in his expected race for Howard County
Executive. Kittleman was the only Republican senator to vote for the
legislation.
“We don’t question whether Senator
Kittleman or any other Republican who might support gay marriage is
voting so out of political calculation or are voting their true
beliefs,” said Brown. “But we do question whether such a vote is
consistent with the desires of their Republican constituents. NOM has
defeated every pro-gay marriage Republican we’ve ever targeted, and
we’re quite confident Senator Kittleman will be next.”