Don’t worry, Colorado. The results from Tuesday night’s GOP caucus aren’t binding, influential gay Republicans told Out Front Colorado.
While none of the Republicans interviewed expressed out right disappointment in Rick Santorum’s surprise victory, all pointed out: the race for the Republican nomination is far from over.
“I caution at declaring doom for Romney,” said Colorado Log Cabin Republican member Alexander Hornaday.
Colorado was one of three states that held non-binding caucuses or primaries Tuesday. Santorum swept all three: Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romeny came in second in Colorado’s contest. He won the state in 2008 with 60 percent of the vote. Santorum, the GOP’s most anti-gay candidate for president, bested Romney Tuesday night with 40 percent of the vote.
The Santorum surge caught most by surprise.
“All caucuses have a unique life of their own,” Colorado Log Cabin Republican President George Gramer said in a statement. “Tuesday night, less than 70,000 Republicans caucused in a state with almost 800,000 active registered Republicans. That sampling does not provide a full snapshot of the electorate. It does demonstrate, for those who received votes, whose base is activated, interested and engaged.”
And why was this voting bloc engaged?
“We can credit the Obama administration’s attack on the Catholic Church, and the accompanied media coverage over the past couple of days with providing a lift for the Santorum campaign, who is a life-long Catholic,” answered Michael Carr, who sits on the board of directors of the national Log Cabin organization. “As a Catholic, I am glad to see voters rallying in support of The Church, and in essence defending The First Amendment. I just pray that those defenders of the religious freedom come to our aid in defending equal protection.”
Neither the national Log Cabin organization nor state chapter has officially endorsed a candidate.
State chairman of the Colorado Federation of College Republicans Troy Ard said the results show a need for Colorado’s right leaning LGBT community to get involved.
“These unexpected results will give added incentive for people of all stripes, especially the underrepresented LGBT Republicans, to remain involved through the rest of the process until Colorado awards delegates at the state convention,” Ard said. “Increased involvement and passion is a win for everybody. However, the gay community needs to actively advance its message in the Republican Party like so many other interest groups have done in this primary in order for its voice to be heard.”
Delegates to the GOP’s national nominating convention will be chosen and pledged to a candidate in April at the state Republican Party’s assembly, Hornaday said.
Both Gramer and Ard were selected as delegates.
“November’s election will be a referendum on the economy, on jobs, on honest employment figures, and on deficit spending,” Gramer said. “I am well aware that many GLBT voters are one-issue voters. That is a sad commentary on the GLBT community, but to each their own.”
