NJ: NOM Launches $500K Anti-Gay Blitz

Yesterday the National Organization for Marriage launched a $500,000 campaign against marriage equality in New Jersey. From their press release:

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) announces a new $500,000 voter outreach campaign in New Jersey highlighted by the release of a new radio ad, “Give Me a Break,” which will begin running on targeted New Jersey radio stations today and will continue for at least two weeks. “NOM's voter outreach will include telephone calling, direct mailers, and online advertising to let voters know that Democrats are considering following Jon Corzine over a political cliff by pushing gay marriage in the lame duck," said Brian Brown, executive director of NOM. The ad, "Give Me a Break," underscores that Gov. Jon Corzine had four years to push a gay marriage bill, and the losing governor should not waste legislators’ valuable time by pushing a gay marriage bill in the lame duck session when New Jersey voters expect elected officials to focus on far more urgent priorities, like jobs, the economy and the budget.

Listen to the radio ad here. NOM just seems to have endless funding.

New Jersey: Growing GOP Push For 2010 Ballot On Marriage

Fearing that New Jersey's lame-duck legislature will approve same-sex marriage after the November election, GOP and Christian activists are renewing their push for the issue to be put on the 2010 ballot.

Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen) yesterday said Gov. Jon Corzine made a deal with another prominent lawmaker to vote on it during a lame-duck session that follows Election Day. "I can say I know that there was a conversation between the governor and a key chairman because I was in the room. After, not before the election, was their determination," said Cardinale. Responding to Cardinale's assertion, Democratic State Committee Chairman Joseph Cryan called it "perhaps the most ridiculous accusation in the gubernatorial race so far from the Republicans." "The governor's on the record supporting fairness and equality for everyone," Cryan said. "In our state, there's no mystery to that." During a forum at Rider University last week, Corzine said it's unlikely he would support a ballot question to decide the definition of marriage because he believes decisions on marriage equality should be made by elected officials. "I understand this is a deeply divisive issue," Corzine said. "All people are created equal."

The very gay-friendly Gov. Corzine, who has vowed to sign a bill approving same-sex marriage, has faced a tough re-election campaign, suffering some of the ugliest television attack ads I've seen. (We get the Jersey ads here in NYC.) The latest poll shows Corzine down 4 points to GOP challenger Chris Christie, hopefully tonight's debate will turn that around.

Paid Family Leave For Garden State Gays

In another step forward towards marriage equality, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a law on Friday which mandates paid family leave for same-sex partners as well as married heterosexuals.

Under the New Jersey law, workers can apply for up to six weeks off to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or a sick parent, child, spouse or partner, and collect up to two-thirds of their pay, up to a maximum of $524 a week.

The new law explicitly includes married spouses, as well as civil union partners under the Civil Union Act enacted in December 2006, and domestic partners through the Domestic Partnership Act enacted in January 2004.

New Jersey becomes the second state after California to offer paid family leave for same-sex partners. Washington is the only other state to offer such paid leave at all, and there it only covers leave to care for sick children. Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality, says, "This new law is the latest indication that our state is ready to give same-sex couples the freedom to marry."