| Steve Pougnet hopes to unseat incumbent Mary Bono Mack. |
By Joseph Erbentraut-
With just under three weeks to go until the mid-term elections, the media’s spotlight is burning bright on any number of tightly-contested congressional and senatorial races. At the center of one of those races-one of the few where pundits believe a Democrat could unseat a Republican incumbent-is openly gay congressional candidate and Palm Springs (Calif.) Mayor Steve Pougnet.
It’s an opportunity Pougnet, 47, is not taking lightly. The race presents a chance for otherwise downtrodden Democrats to save face in what could prove a difficult Election Day for them. And further, Pougnet’s campaign in California’s 45th Congressional District against six-term incumbent Mary Bono Mack is also historic and deeply significant to LGBT activists striving for progress on Capitol Hill.
If elected, Pougnet is expected to join at least three, but very likely four, other openly LGBT members of Congress. [Providence (R.I.) Mayor David Cicilline also stands a very good chance at winning his race.] Pougnet would also be the first partnered gay or lesbian congressman with children: He and husband Christopher have two children.
Pougnet said advice and support has received from Congressmembers Tammy Baldwin [D-Wis.], Barney Frank [D-Mass.] and Jared Polis [D-Colo.] have proven helpful during his lengthy campaign.
"They all say the same thing, to do your job, work hard, talk to everybody and you’ll succeed," Pougnet told EDGE. "I’m excited about joining them in Washington to lead on LGBT issues. A lot of people have jumped on this campaign and obviously it’s important today to have a family in Washington led by two dads who love their children. This is a really important step for our country."
Voters first elected Pougnet to the Palm Springs City Council in 2003 as part of the nation’s first-ever LGBT majority of a city council. When voters elected him to his current office in 2007, Pougnet received 71 percent of the popular vote in a five candidate race to become the city’s first openly gay mayor.
Pougnet’s sexual orientation appears to have barely registered among district voters who remain largely focused on jobs and health care. The 45th Congressional District, which includes part of Riverside County, has an unemployment rate well above both state and national averages. And there is little sign of a quick economic recovery.
Pougnet’s proposals for new job creation have, he said, earned him a great deal of support from labor groups and even some Republicans. He described Bono Mack’s record on labor and jobs issues as "ineffective" and criticized his opponent’s increasingly negative ads as "a tactic that’s not working". Her campaign recently released a television ad blaming Pougnet for the closing of a jewelry business, though it closed before he took office.
"[Mack] is talking very aggressively about the city of Palm Springs and failed leadership, which is patently false," said Pougnet. "This city has an unemployment rate that’s lower than the rest of the district and we’ve balanced our budget without raising taxes... The ads she is running are harming her city, one she forgets she lives in, at a time when the last thing we want to do is bash businesses here."
In an apparent attempt to chip away at Bono Mack’s base, Pougnet’s campaign released an automated phone call and mailer to voters touting the Tea Party-affiliated third candidate in the race, Bill Lussenheide, the Desert Sun reported on Sunday, Oct. 10. The call described Bono Mack as "a raging liberal" compared to Lussenheide, capitalizing on some Republican opposition to the incumbent’s support of "cap and trade" climate change legislation.
Despite this action, Pougnet said his main focus in the coming weeks remains "staying on message" about the issues that matter to the district’s residents. He remains confident in his chances and stated this is "a race we can win".
"We’re in pretty good shape because we’ve worked hard, raised money and connected with a lot of people across the district: We’ve done all the right things to make this a close race," Pougnet said. "We all care about our seniors, our roads and sanitation, and I’m working hard to serve everybody in our community. I care about working families in the district and they want to know that my door will be open in Washington."
While no third-party polling has been done on the $3-million-plus congressional race between Pougnet and Bono Mack, CNN removed it from its list of "the 100 most vulnerable House races" in the midterm election on Sunday, Oct. 10.
for more visit Queer. Politics. Music. Life. By Joe Erbentraut.
-end-
It’s an opportunity Pougnet, 47, is not taking lightly. The race presents a chance for otherwise downtrodden Democrats to save face in what could prove a difficult Election Day for them. And further, Pougnet’s campaign in California’s 45th Congressional District against six-term incumbent Mary Bono Mack is also historic and deeply significant to LGBT activists striving for progress on Capitol Hill.
If elected, Pougnet is expected to join at least three, but very likely four, other openly LGBT members of Congress. [Providence (R.I.) Mayor David Cicilline also stands a very good chance at winning his race.] Pougnet would also be the first partnered gay or lesbian congressman with children: He and husband Christopher have two children.
Pougnet said advice and support has received from Congressmembers Tammy Baldwin [D-Wis.], Barney Frank [D-Mass.] and Jared Polis [D-Colo.] have proven helpful during his lengthy campaign.
"They all say the same thing, to do your job, work hard, talk to everybody and you’ll succeed," Pougnet told EDGE. "I’m excited about joining them in Washington to lead on LGBT issues. A lot of people have jumped on this campaign and obviously it’s important today to have a family in Washington led by two dads who love their children. This is a really important step for our country."
Voters first elected Pougnet to the Palm Springs City Council in 2003 as part of the nation’s first-ever LGBT majority of a city council. When voters elected him to his current office in 2007, Pougnet received 71 percent of the popular vote in a five candidate race to become the city’s first openly gay mayor.
Pougnet’s sexual orientation appears to have barely registered among district voters who remain largely focused on jobs and health care. The 45th Congressional District, which includes part of Riverside County, has an unemployment rate well above both state and national averages. And there is little sign of a quick economic recovery.
Pougnet’s proposals for new job creation have, he said, earned him a great deal of support from labor groups and even some Republicans. He described Bono Mack’s record on labor and jobs issues as "ineffective" and criticized his opponent’s increasingly negative ads as "a tactic that’s not working". Her campaign recently released a television ad blaming Pougnet for the closing of a jewelry business, though it closed before he took office.
"[Mack] is talking very aggressively about the city of Palm Springs and failed leadership, which is patently false," said Pougnet. "This city has an unemployment rate that’s lower than the rest of the district and we’ve balanced our budget without raising taxes... The ads she is running are harming her city, one she forgets she lives in, at a time when the last thing we want to do is bash businesses here."
In an apparent attempt to chip away at Bono Mack’s base, Pougnet’s campaign released an automated phone call and mailer to voters touting the Tea Party-affiliated third candidate in the race, Bill Lussenheide, the Desert Sun reported on Sunday, Oct. 10. The call described Bono Mack as "a raging liberal" compared to Lussenheide, capitalizing on some Republican opposition to the incumbent’s support of "cap and trade" climate change legislation.
Despite this action, Pougnet said his main focus in the coming weeks remains "staying on message" about the issues that matter to the district’s residents. He remains confident in his chances and stated this is "a race we can win".
"We’re in pretty good shape because we’ve worked hard, raised money and connected with a lot of people across the district: We’ve done all the right things to make this a close race," Pougnet said. "We all care about our seniors, our roads and sanitation, and I’m working hard to serve everybody in our community. I care about working families in the district and they want to know that my door will be open in Washington."
While no third-party polling has been done on the $3-million-plus congressional race between Pougnet and Bono Mack, CNN removed it from its list of "the 100 most vulnerable House races" in the midterm election on Sunday, Oct. 10.
for more visit Queer. Politics. Music. Life. By Joe Erbentraut.
-end-
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