The Bilerico Project | Daily experiments in LGBTQ

Attorney General Rob McKenna (R) announced his candidacy for Governor of Washington State on Wednesday. He is the first Republican to announce his plan to run, in what Politico is calling the country's second most contested Governor's race of 2012.

Rep. Jay Inslee (D) is expected to announce his candidacy shortly after Governor Gregoire publicly announces she will not seek a 3rd term.

Politico is correct, this race is going to be tight. However, given McKenna's past anti-gay slurs, how can he ever expect to get the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied vote? The LGBT and allied vote is large enough to swing the election one way or another.

McKenna told reporters in 2004 that marriage equality for gays and lesbians could result in polygamy and incest. He said, "It threatens to destroy all standards we apply to the right of marriage."

That was 2004, in 2011 the evidence is clearly in. Massachusetts has not fallen into a hellish society overcome by incest. Neither has Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Canada, Spain, South Africa, Iceland, or the Netherlands - all of which recognize gay and lesbian marriage.

In fact, all of the results of the freedom to marry are positive. Families are more secure, states get a boost to their economies because of money spent on marriages, and the millions of children in gay and lesbian households are safer because their parents are protected.

In 2010, McKenna's anti-gay politicking continued. He endorsed the state's most homophobic candidates possible, including John Koster who supported amending the United States Constitution to prohibit the freedom to marry for gays and lesbians.

It will be interesting to see how McKenna tries to slime his way out of his anti-gay past. Since Washington State is one of the most supportive states in the country, and the only state to ever vote to expand the rights of gay and lesbian couples at the ballot box, Washington State won't want a homophobic governor.

The question remains, will McKenna be savvy enough to step away from his past by endorsing the freedom to marry now? He should if he wants to win.

(imgsrc)