Virginia Rep. Randy Forbes, a senior House Republican eyeing a powerful committee chairmanship, is causing friction with some of his colleagues by pushing the House GOP campaign arm to deny support for some of the partys gay congressional candidates.
Forbes has waged a lengthy crusade to convince his colleagues and the National Republican Congressional Committee brass they shouldnt back some gay candidates. His efforts on Capitol Hill were described to POLITICO by more than a half-dozen sources with direct knowledge of the talks.
The issue is particularly acute because House Republicans have two promising openly gay candidates in 2014 vying for seats held by Democrats. Richard Tisei, who narrowly lost to Democratic Rep. John Tierney in 2012, is running again in northeastern Massachusetts. And in San Diego, Carl DeMaio, a former city councilman, is running in a Republican primary to face Democratic Rep. Scott Peters.
Neither DeMaio nor Tisei responded to messages on their cellphones seeking comment.
In recent years, Republicans have slowly tried to make inroads with the gay community. As gay marriage becomes more common, many GOP officials have softened their stance. Since the 2012 election, Republicans have similarly tried to make inroads with other neglected voting blocs, including women and Hispanics.
Many senior House Republicans havent shied away from giving money to Tisei or DeMaio. The NRCC supported Tisei in 2012, and many top Republicans contributed to his campaign. The political arm of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) gave DeMaio $10,000 in June. And Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) chipped in $5,000 the same month.
On Wednesday, Forbes told POLITICO he thinks GOP leaders can do whatever they want to do, in terms of giving money to gay candidates.
He said he is more concerned about members being asked to contribute to the campaigns. The NRCC is partially funded by collecting tens of millions of dollars from House Republicans, who pay dues to the organization.
There would be a different situation if they tried to force other members to give money, Forbes said.
Asked whether he would have a problem with the NRCC donating money to DeMaio, Forbes said, Thats a little different situation.
I dont think theyve done that yet, Forbes added.
When asked if he would withhold political contributions to the NRCC if they backed DeMaio, Forbes said, Im not going to be hypothetical on what we would or wouldnt do at this particular point in time because youve got a lot of scenarios. I dont think weve had primaries and nominations to nominate people. So I dont want to prejudge.
The NRCC does not get publicly involved in primaries.
In an emailed statement to POLITICO in response to this story, NRCC Chairman Greg Walden of Oregon said, Our decisions on the Republican nominees we support will not be based on race, gender or sexual orientation but will be based on the strength of their candidacy and their ability to defeat Democrats.
Many Republicans seem willing to back DeMaio. Rep. Darrell Issa, a senior California Republican who has endorsed him, said that he will be supported by the NRCC when he wins the primary.
I will see to that, said Issa, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said if DeMaio is the Republican candidate, thats who were going to back.
Thats who Im going to back, he told POLITICO. Were going to endorse the Republican candidate. Thats it.
Asked about Speaker John Boehners policy toward gay candidates, an aide pointed to several contributions the Ohio Republican made to Tisei during the past election cycle. Boehner also visited Boston to raise money for Tisei during the summer of 2012.
Within the GOP, the politics of gay marriage have shifted. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, for instance, has come out in favor of same-sex marriage. Several other Republicans have tried to distance themselves from the anti-gay policies of the partys past.
Even more than marriage politics, this episode highlights the bare-knuckle politics waged in Washington when it comes to committee chairmanships. The stakes are high: Holding a gavel translates into power in the Capitol. And on the House Armed Services Committee, the chairman becomes flush with cash from the large military sector.
Although Forbes has been lobbying on this issue for some time, it is becoming public now, as his name is being mentioned for the committee chairmanship. Although he hasnt announced his retirement, many GOP insiders expect current Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) to forgo another bid for election.
In an interview with POLITICO, McKeons chief of staff said his boss expects Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry to be the next chairman. Republican leadership sources, granted anonymity to discuss future party strategy, told POLITICO they consider Thornberry a shoo-in for the top spot on the panel, which oversees the nations military.
Asked about his bid for the committee gavel, Forbes said, I think everybody who cares about the military and we happen to believe that weve got ideas that would help strengthen the military certainly youre interested in the chairmanship.
But, he added, I think there are a lot of wonderful people who would do great jobs as chairman.
