N.Y. Republicans who backed gay marriage see coffers, criticism soar

Political Ticker ^ | July 15, 2011 | Jeff Stein

[NYer]

New York (CNN) - Republicans in New York's state Senate who crossed party lines to legalize gay marriage in the state have seen sharp increases in their campaign coffers, leading conservative activists to allege their votes were bought.

State Sen. Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, for instance, amassed just $30,000 from May 1 to June 24, the day same-sex marriage was approved. But in the two-and-a-half weeks after his vote, Grisanti reported receiving $73,000 in contributions – including huge donations from high-profile gay rights supporters like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Tim Gill, who is based in Colorado.

For State Sen. Roy McDonald, whose districts include Rensselaer and Saratoga counties, the weeks following his vote proved even more lucrative. After receiving $31,000 in the two months preceding the vote, McDonald garnered approximately $90,000 in just 17 days, more than doubling his total haul for all of 2011, according to Bill Mahoney, legislative operations and research coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group.

Three of the four Republican supporters of gay marriage denied multiple requests for comment on the spikes. But conservatives were quick to decry the flood of donations.

"They consistently and adamantly said they were opposed to same-sex marriage," said the Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. "But after some meetings with major financial backers their position flipped, and they're now raking in tens of thousands of dollars."

Michael Long, chairman of the New York State Conservative Party, likewise alleged that the Republicans voted for gay marriage "because of the largesse of money now flying through their accounts."

State Sen. Ruben Diaz, the lone Democrat to oppose the bill, also questioned the senators' motives and called for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to launch an investigation.

[Sun]

“State Sen. Ruben Diaz, the lone Democrat to oppose the bill, also questioned the senators’ motives and called for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to launch an investigation.”

Good for Sen. Diaz, but too bad the A.G. is Schneiderman. Here’s Schneiderman’s chance to show he is capable of doing the right thing.

[packrat35]

Sounds like payoffs. Shouldn’t there be an investigation?

I already know the answer.