All politics may be local, but political donations are anything but. I’ve often wondered if he should be a law prohibiting out-of-state money in local politics. Of course, given the Supreme Court’s ridiculous decision in Citizen’s United, well, that will never happen.
So, let’s talk D.C.’s recent same-sex marriage campaign. If the good citizens of Washington, D.C. were against marriage equality, there weren’t many, and they didn’t put their money where their mouth is — or, was.
GLAA Forum reports “anti-gay zealot” Rev. Harry Jackson, who was the leader in the D.C. anti-gay marriage “movement,” was funded by no D.C. residents.
“It turns out that the $199,530.00 funding for his efforts come from only four main sources, all from outside of D.C. according reports filed with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance. Jackson has created three distinct groups to wage three different ballot fights. The groups are Stand for Marriage DC [two filings], which tried to keep the marriage recognition law from becoming law; Stand for Marriage DC Referendum, which is trying to keep the marriage equality bill from becoming law; and Stand for Marriage DC Initiative, which has tried to rewrite law to only recognize marriage in D.C. as between one man and one woman.”
“No donations are from D.C. residents, unless you believe that Harry Jackson actually lives in D.C. His wife and son continue to live in their large suburban home. Jackson’s apartment in D.C. is the headquarters of Stand for Marriage DC.”
More at DCist.