Florida Republican Party donates $150,000 to support ban on gay marriages
Florida Republican Party donates $150,000 to support ban on gay marriages
By Jason Garcia
Tallahassee Bureau
Posted January 12 2006
TALLAHASSEE ยท The Republican Party of Florida gave $150,000 to the group that wants to put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot, new campaign finance records show.
The party's donation -- more than three-quarters of the total that the group sponsoring the amendment, Florida4marriage.org, has raised so far -- comes as supporters are struggling to meet a state-imposed deadline for gathering signatures.
Backers must collect 611,009 signatures and have them certified by local elections offices by Feb. 1. Florida4marriage.org officials say they have gathered roughly 250,000 so far for their proposal, which would also prohibit civil unions that offer the same benefits as marriage.
Word of the contribution also comes a week after a host of Republican leaders, including the state party chairwoman and both of the GOP's leading candidates for governor endorsed the measure.
Having a proposal to ban same-sex marriage on the ballot could help the Republican Party by rallying religious conservatives to the polls in a year when Floridians will elect Gov. Jeb Bush's successor.
A spokeswoman for the Republican Party said political considerations played no role in the GOP's contribution.
The party made the donation "solely because we support the issue," said Camille Anderson, the spokeswoman.
Still, Anderson acknowledged, "It happens to be beneficial to have initiatives on the ballot that Republicans feel strongly about."
John Stemberger, the chairman of the group sponsoring the amendment, said the money has been largely spent on mailers alerting supporters of the impending deadline and distributing petitions.
Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564.
By Jason Garcia
Tallahassee Bureau
Posted January 12 2006
TALLAHASSEE ยท The Republican Party of Florida gave $150,000 to the group that wants to put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot, new campaign finance records show.
The party's donation -- more than three-quarters of the total that the group sponsoring the amendment, Florida4marriage.org, has raised so far -- comes as supporters are struggling to meet a state-imposed deadline for gathering signatures.
Backers must collect 611,009 signatures and have them certified by local elections offices by Feb. 1. Florida4marriage.org officials say they have gathered roughly 250,000 so far for their proposal, which would also prohibit civil unions that offer the same benefits as marriage.
Word of the contribution also comes a week after a host of Republican leaders, including the state party chairwoman and both of the GOP's leading candidates for governor endorsed the measure.
Having a proposal to ban same-sex marriage on the ballot could help the Republican Party by rallying religious conservatives to the polls in a year when Floridians will elect Gov. Jeb Bush's successor.
A spokeswoman for the Republican Party said political considerations played no role in the GOP's contribution.
The party made the donation "solely because we support the issue," said Camille Anderson, the spokeswoman.
Still, Anderson acknowledged, "It happens to be beneficial to have initiatives on the ballot that Republicans feel strongly about."
John Stemberger, the chairman of the group sponsoring the amendment, said the money has been largely spent on mailers alerting supporters of the impending deadline and distributing petitions.
Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564.
