Many of you might not know who Ken Mehlmen is.
He is the architect of George Bush’s field campaign for his 2000 run and was the campaign manager for his 2004 re-election campaign. He is also the former Chairman of the Republican National Committee that supported Romney’s first run for president.
Mehlmen, who came out in 2010, is also the leading voice in the Republican party to support gay marriage. He recently initiated an amicus brief to be submitted to the Supreme Court in support of equal marriage that was signed by over 300 leading Republicans. SCOTUS will hear the appeal from equal marriage cases from Louisiana, Kentucky, Ohio Michigan, and Tennessee on April 28.
There are several high-profile gay Republicans, other Massachusetts- and New England-connected Republican cognoscenti, and additional, downright shocking signatories, who signed onto Mehlman’s letter to SCOTUS.
They are encountering a somewhat moderate pushback from their party because of their signatures.
And for that I applaud them all and thank them for their support. Yes, I’m thanking them for their support because without these people the argument before SCOTUS would not be as robust and diverse.
Here is my top 10 List of Republicans that signed onto Mehlman’s amicus brief. It is quite an impressive lot—with some of the signatories even shocking me—which takes a lot these days.
1) Mass Governors/Lt. Govs. – Current & Former:
Gov. William Weld
Gov. Charlie Baker
Gov. Jane Swift
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito
This is an impressive list not for only who signed it—but also for who did not.
As an aside, Gov. Paul Cellucci was a supporter of equal marriage, and likely would have signed the brief, if not for his untimely passing in 2013. Additionally, honorable mention goes to Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito who has done a 180 on her stance on gay marriage that is nicely chronicled by the Globe’s Yvonne Abraham in her recent article.
However, the other non-signers do not have death as an excuse. Most notably are the lack of signatures from former Governor Mitt Romney and former Lt. Governor, and failed gubernatorial candidate, Kerry Healey. However, it is interesting to note that a majority of the leadership of the presidential campaigns for Romney—and some of Healey’s gubernatorial team have signed. See below under “Romney Presidential Campaign Team”:
2) Former Presidential Candidates:
John Huntsman, former presidential candidate and Gov. of Utah.
The only 2012 Presidential candidate who supported equal marriage at an actual Republican Presidential Primary debate, and the other devout Mormon in the Republican field that year, John Huntsman’s signature is not that big of a surprise.
What is a surprise are those that are not there.
Sen. John McCain, whose wife and daughter both posed for the No Hate campaign, is not on the brief ( nor are they). Neither is any other Republican presidential candidate for the last two decades. Huntsman is a man ahead of his time it seems.
3) Massachusetts Electeds – Current/Former:
Richard Tisei, Massachusetts state senator, 1991–2011, and Senate minority leader, 2007–11 (former Lt. Governor and Congressional candidate)
Richard J. Ross, Massachusetts State Senator, 2010-Present
Patrick Guerriero, mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts, and member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1993–2001
(Founded Log Cabin Republican, former MA Lt. Governor candidate with Gov. Jane Swift)
Notable non-signers: Former U.S. Senator and State Senator Scott—but is anyone really surprised?
4) Republican State Republican Party Leaders:
Kirsten Hughes, Republican State Party Chairwoman
Kirsten Hughes was Sen. Scott Brown’s personal choice to take over the party after his win in 2012. When the activist state Republican Party voted to put a measure in its charter that said marriage was between one man and one woman, Hughes declared her objection to the measure.
Hughes’ signing, along with that of Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito prompted some prominent State Republican Committee members to take to social media to call them sellouts and traitors.
From the Globe report on the debacle, “Chanel Prunier, the state’s Republican national committeewoman, said in an e-mail that it was “unwise and damaging to party unity for party leaders in [Massachusetts] to sign on to the brief for same-sex marriage. It undermines a lot of the work many people are trying to do to bring factions in the party together for them to betray the grass roots of the party by spending their time and effort on it.”
Interesting—
5) Almost the Entire Leadership of the Romney Presidential Campaign:
Romney campaign honchos who signed on to the brief, including:
Beth Myers, Romney for President Campaign Manager, 2007-2008 and Senior Advisor, 2011-2012
Andrea Saul, Press Secretary, Romney for President, 2012
Katie Biber, general counsel, Romney for President, 2012
Ben Ginsberg, national counsel, Romney for President, 2012
Lee Rudofsky, deputy general counsel, Romney for President, 2012
David E. Black, National Finance Team, Huntsman for President, 2011-2012, and Press Advance Lead, Romney for President, 2012
Sally Canfield, Policy Director, Romney for President, 2006-2008, and Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Marco Rubio, 2011-2015
Dan Centinello, Deputy National Political Director, Mitt Romney for President, 2011-2012
Sara Craig, Iowa State Director, Romney for President, 2011-2012, and Virginia State Manager, Romney for President, 2012
Mason Fink, Finance Director, Romney for President, 2012
Carl Forti, Deputy Campaign Manager and Political Director, Romney for President, 2007-2008
Kathryn E. Gage, Deputy Campaign Manager, Romney for President 2012
Josh Ginsberg, National Field Director, Romney for President, 2007-2008
Brian Jones, Senior Advisor, Romney for President, 2012
David Langdon, Special Assistant to the Chairman, Republican National Committee, 2004-2007, and Special Assistant to the Governor, Romney for President 2008
Kory A. Langhofer, Associate Counsel, Romney for President, 2012
Alex Lundry, Director of Data Science, Romney for President, 2012
Christopher Maloney, Ohio Communications Director and Spokesman, Romney for President, 2012
Zac Moffatt, Digital Director, Romney for President 2012
Jill E. Neunaber, Iowa State Director, Romney for President, 2012
Nancy Mitchell Pfotenhauer, Regulatory Advisor, Romney for President, 2012
Sarah Pompei, Communications Director, House of Representatives, Majority Whip’s Office, 2011-2012, and Deputy Communications Director, Romney for President, 2012
Joshua Baca, National Coalitions Director, Romney for President 2012
Though a campaign staff is large, this is an impressively long list of staffers. The most notable on the list is Beth Myers. Prior to running Romney’s Myers was a prolific Republican operative who was primarily responsible for Scott Brown’s Senate seat win in 2010 after the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Myers served as Romney’s Chief of Staff when he was Governor and prior to served on Treasurer Joe Malone’s staff. She currently lives in Massachusetts and runs The Shamut Group, a political consulting firm.
Despite helping to elect anti-equal marriage candidates, Myers was also a signatory to a similar letter to SCOTUS in 2014 for the Hollyworth v. Perry equal marriage case.
6) Massachusetts Republican Operatives:
Jennifer A. Nassour, Chair, Conservative Women for a Better Future, 2011-Present, and Chair, Massachusetts Republican Party, 2009-2011
Ron Kaufman, Senior Advisor, Romney for President, 2012, and Assistant to the President for Political Affairs and White House Political Director for President George H. W. Bush
Jason Kauppi, Press Secretary, Office of the Governor of Massachusetts, 2001
Gabriel E. Gomez, U.S. Senate Candidate, 2013
Vincent DeVito, General Counsel, Massachusetts Republican Party, 2007-2013, Chief Legal Counsel, The Baker Committee, 2013-2014, and Former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs (Acting)
You might not have heard of Ron Kaufman and Jennifer Nassour but this duo has help to create, grow, and get the Massachusetts Republican Party to win over the last decade. Kaufman is a major player nationally and Nassour was the backbone of the state party and built it back up.
Good to also see former Senator candidate, and hunky Navy Seal, Gabriel Gomez rounding out the Massachusetts political operatives. Gomez was supportive of equal marriage in his failed bid for the Kerry Senate seat.
7) Military/Homeland Security Leaders:
Stanley A. McChrystal, Four-Star General, United States Army, 1976-2010
Tom Ridge, governor of Pennsylvania, 1995–2001, and secretary of Homeland Security, 2003–05
Speaking of the military, here are two names that I was shocked and pleasantly pleased to see. General McChrystal did support the overturning of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” but to see a general signing an amicus brief is surprising.
8) The Gay Republicans:
Jamie Ensley, Chairman of the Board, Log Cabin Republicans, 2015-Present
Sarah Longwell, Vice-Chair, Log Cabin Republicans, 2011-Present
James C. Dozier, Republican Political Strategist and Advisor
Mary Cheney, director of vice-presidential operations, Bush-Cheney 2004
We’re glad that she finally wants rights for herself, her wife, and their children.
9) Evil Capitalist that Supports Dark Money SuperPACs:
David H. Koch, Philanthropist
The man everyone loves to hate, apparently loves the gays.
New England Electeds and Operatives Supporters:
Maine:
Sen. Susan M. Collins, U.S. Senator for Maine, 1997-Present
Mark J. Ellis, State Chairman, Maine Republican Party, 2005-2006 and 2007-2009
Shout out to Sen. Susan Collins for being the one of two Republican sitting US Senators to sign the document. Though I wasn’t that surprised, no others did. It would have been good to see former Maine Senator Olympia Snowe sign on.
New Hampshire Republicans:
Cong. Charlie Bass (R- NH)
Nancy Stiles, New Hampshire state senator, 2010–present
John Reagan, New Hampshire State Representative, 2006-2011, and New Hampshire State Senator, 2012-Present
Adam Schroadter, New Hampshire State Representative, 2010-Present
Tammy Simmons, New Hampshire State Representative
Jacob P. Wagner, chairman, New Hampshire Federation of College Republicans, 2012–present
Juliana Bergeron, New Hampshire Republican National Committeewoman, 2012-Present
A very nice representation from the New Hampshire Repubs! Live free or Die for the gays too I guess.
Connecticut Electeds:
Christopher Shays, Member of Congress, 1987-2009
