Concerned Citizens

In an article in Plaza de Armas, Gilbert Garcia wrote about the possible opportunity District 1 candidate Chris Forbrich might gain by landing an endorsement by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a political action committee focused on electing gay and lesbian candidates to public office. Garcia points out the potential financial and organizational value the Victory Fund can bring to a gay or lesbian candidate, citing the campaigns of Mayor Annise Parker of Houston and Elena Guajardo in District 7 as examples. However, there are other things to be considered when looking at something like the Victory Fund effect, especially with regards to San Antonio politics.

Talking with a few people this past week about Garcia’s article it’s apparent some might have glossed over the fact that Forbrich has only applied for the Victory Fund’s endorsement but has not received it. As Guajardo pointed out in Garcia’s article, the Victory Fund has a very stringent endorsement process and criteria starting with their campaign school which both Guajardo and Forbrich completed.

“You have to let them know your campaign plan, your expenditures, and why you think you can win.  They want to know that you are the person that you say you are, and that you have a chance to win. If you can’t meet those criteria, they won’t even consider supporting you,” said Guajardo in the article. If the Victory Fund feels you are a viable candidate and worth endorsing they then begin to bring their resources to the table.

While Garcia pointed out Parker’s victory in 2009 as an example of the Victory Fund’s positive impact, I think there’s another example in Texas which probably has more relevance to Forbrich’s situation. Joel Burns, Councilman for Fort Worth’s District 9, ran for office in a special election in 2007 that pit him against several other candidates including one that launched an anti-gay tactic against Burns with the help of a sitting Fort Worth city council member.

Burns was able to garner the endorsement and support of the Victory Fund which then proceeded to promote Burns’ race in it’s literature and updates nationwide. That promotion allowed people across the nation to evaluate Burns’ candidacy and provide financial support for him, helping him to garner the most votes in the general election and win a subsequent run-off for the council seat. It’s not a stretch to attribute some part of Burns’ victory to the support the Victory Fund provided him during his campaign.

Burns has recently become the first candidate endorsed by the Victory Fund for 2011. His endorsement page includes three badges of distinction: a 2011 endorsee, a trainee of the Victory Fund’s school and a Victory Fund Fellow denoting his completion of an intensive three week Executive Education program at the Harvard Kennedy School. It doesn’t hurt that Burns recently gave a speech of support in Fort Worth council chambers supporting gay and lesbian teens considering suicide. Burns’ stirring account of his own struggles has been a model of support in the Trevor Project’s efforts to end suicides by teens who feel there is no other option. The video on YouTube has been viewed almost 2.5 million times, demonstrating Burns’ national presence among gays and lesbians.

But there’s another side to consider when garnering Victory Fund support. The support provided by the PAC is afforded only to openly gay or lesbian candidates. Both Forbrich and Guajardo are openly gay or lesbian and have campaigned without hiding those facts.

While we can only hope that their orientation would not serve as a deterrent to their chances, this is Texas where conservative prejudices exist. Some people will completely disregard Forbrich’s and Guajardo’s qualifications and campaigns and vote against them just because of their orientation. As Forbrich pointed out in Garcia’s article “They emphasize that we’re LGBT people running for office, we’re not pushing an LGBT agenda.”

If both Forbrich and Guajardo gain endorsements by the Victory Fund it’s not unrealistic to imagine the organization could bring a field coordinator to San Antonio to help both campaigns. Having someone professionally trained to help campaign operations, coordinate any national support or messaging, and potentially counter any anti-gay messages that might emerge during their campaigns.

While there is a lot of speculation about the endorsements at this point they are all speculations. The candidates must first complete the vetting process which does not guarantee an endorsement. Regardless, we’re early in the campaigns so there’s a lot that can happen between now and May 14th.