MAINE: State Supreme Court Rules That NOM Must Reveal Their Donors

Via the Portland Press Herald:

The National Organization for Marriage has lost another round in its attempt to hide the identities of donors to a successful 2009 referendum campaign to reverse Maine’s marriage equality law. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday denied NOM’s motion to block a ruling by the state’s ethics and elections commission that the organization must register as a ballot question committee and begin disclosing its donors. Last year the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices imposed a $50,250 fine on NOM, the nation’s leading organization opposing gay marriage, a ruling that could affect the way nonprofit organizations attempt to influence Maine elections. The ruling followed an investigation in which the staff of the ethics commission found that NOM failed to comply with state law by concealing its operations and donors during the drive to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law in 2009. The ethics vote meant that the state will require the organization to register as a ballot question committee and disclose its donors from the campaign.

The director of the ethics commission says that NOM has both paid its fine and registered as a ballot question committee "under protest."

More from the Bangor Daily News:

The National Organization for Marriage has argued that the Maine Ethics Commission misapplied the law that its donors from across the United States were supporting the organization’s general principles and not specifically the referendum in Maine. The organization also has argued that disclosing its donors would seriously hinder its ability to raise funds in the future. In May 2014, Maine Ethics Commission Chairman Walter McKee said that the National Organization for Marriage has made a “mockery” of Maine’s campaign finance disclosure laws. It was unclear whether the National Organization for Marriage has any additional legal options to avoid disclosure of the list.

WARNING: Leftists Are Planning To Export Sodomy To All Planets In The Universe

"We find that the virus is spreading rapidly. It won't be enough to pervert the whole world with this evil anti-family worldview. Since the developed governments of the world aspire to colonizing planets we have to prepare for the export of sodomy to other worlds -- to the entire universe! I think it's time for us Christians to flip open our communicators. Beam me up Scotty. It's like Satan, a rabid dog, sunk his fangs deep into the donkey flesh of our nation's government. And now the deranged ass is infecting other nations. What can be done? Humans die from rabies unless they are given the vaccine before the symptoms appear. Paul the apostle points out in his letter to Roman Christians that you can tell when a nation has become a walking corpse when it has endorsed perverted sex. Is it too late for America to take the vaccine?" - Former Maine Family Policy Council head Mike Heath, writing for Barbwire.

RELATED: Right Wing Watch reminds us that Heath's former group was kicked out of Maine's anti-gay coalition for his deranged claims that gay marriage will lead to crop failure, among other batshittery. Last week Heath tagged along with Porno Pete for their hilariously unattended "press conference" in protest of IML.

MAINE: Sponsor Pulls RFRA Bill, Says Media Killed It From Getting Fair Hearing

Via the Bangor Daily News:

Maine Sen. David Burns will withdraw his ‘religious freedom’ bill because of scrutiny the bill has received and comparisons to the controversial Indiana law that drew national outcry over concerns it allowed for discrimination against gays and lesbians. Burns has said the bill, LD 1340, was about protecting Mainers’ right to free exercise of religion from unnecessarily burdensome state law.  While he played down comparisons to Indiana’s law, Burns’ bill is nearly identical in substance to the controversial religious freedom law passed recently in that state, which sparked national controversy and debate over whether religious conviction can justify discrimination, specifically against gays and lesbians. On Wednesday, Burns said his bill was not about discrimination and blamed his critics and the media for preventing even the possibility of a “fair hearing.” “Opponents of this bill and some in the media have poisoned the well of public discussion,” Burns, R-Whiting, said in a release Wednesday. “They have been guided by an unwillingness to discuss factual information and inaccurate comparisons to the events in Indiana.”

A group of pro-LGBT clergy was preparing to protest the bill outside the state house just as the news of its demise reached them. (Tipped by JMG reader Seth)

MAINE: Former State Lawmaker Throws Jar Of Vaseline At GOP Gov. Paul LePage

Via the Huffington Post:

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) abruptly ended a town hall event Thursday evening after a former state lawmaker threw a jar of Vaseline at him. Former state Rep. Joanne Twomey (D) missed LePage with the petroleum jelly. She was immediately escorted out of the auditorium by security and LePage ended the event, which had been intended to sell his budget plan. Video of the encounter shows members of LePage's security detail blocking Twomey as she tries to approach the stage while arguing with the governor. Then Twomey takes something from her purse and throws it at LePage. Towney, who served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1998 until 2006, told WGME she chose Vaseline as a reference to LePage's 2013 comments about state Sen. Troy Jackson, a Democrat. "Sen. Jackson claims to be for the people, but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline," LePage said in 2013. "He is bad. He has no brains, and he has a black heart."

MAINE: Openly Gay Rep. Mike Michaud Loses To Incumbent Gov. Paul LePage

Michaud would have been the nation's first out-at-election governor.

MAINE: Gov Race Polling Wildly Conflicts

Three new polls on Maine's gubernatorial race show wildly conflicting results.

A new poll has found Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) with a wide lead over the rest of the field. The new Maine Sunday Telegram/Portland Press Herald poll found LePage leading Rep. Mike Michaud, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in the race, 45 to 35 percent among likely voters. Independent candidate Eliot Cutler, meanwhile, got 16 percent with 4 percent undecided. The poll was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center among 639 likely voters between Oct. 15 to 21. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Then there's this new poll:

The latest poll of the Maine governor’s race by Portland-based firm Pan Atlantic SMS shows Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Democrat Mike Michaud tied at 40 percent, with independent Eliot Cutler at 13 percent. Pan Atlantic polled 400 voters between Oct. 15-21. The survey’s margin of error was 4.9 percent. The poll is similar to many others that have been released over the last several weeks, except this one seems to show a shift of support away from Cutler and toward Michaud. Pan Atlantic conducted a poll between Sept. 23-29 – prior to the start of the debates – that showed LePage at 39 percent, Michaud at 34 percent and Cutler at 20 percent. That means that, in less than a month, Michaud has gained 6 percentage points, Cutler has lost 7 and LePage has virtually stayed the same.

And this new poll:

Public Policy Polling’s newest Maine survey finds that after three televised debates, the race for governor is still a very tight contest between incumbent Paul LePage and Democrat Mike Michaud. LePage and Michaud each have 40%, with Eliot Cutler trailing at 17%. Trailing by 23 points with only 11 days to go until the election, there is virtually no way Cutler can overtake LePage and Michaud. But by splitting the anti-LePage vote, the support Cutler is pulling from Michaud could be just enough to reelect LePage in this razor-thin contest.

The final line above will be the story. If elected, Michaud would become the first out-at-election-time governor in history.

MAINE: First Lady Endorses Openly Gay Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Michaud

Via the Bangor Daily News:

First Lady Michelle Obama had a clear message for supporters of gubernatorial candidate Mike Michaud attending a rally at the University of Maine on Friday: Get out to vote and bring like-minded people with you. “Barack won because of record numbers of women and minorities and young people who showed up to vote,” she said, referring to President Barack Obama’s winning campaigns in 2008 and 2012. “When the midterms came along, too many of our people just tuned out,” she said. “That’s what folks are counting on on the other side this year.” Michelle Obama appeared before an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,500 people at the Collins Center for the Arts.

Michaud, who came out in November 2013, is a six-term member of US House and the former president of the Maine Senate. If elected he would become the first state governor to be out at the time of his election. A Portland Herald Press poll released two weeks ago showed Michaud leading incumbent Gov. Paul LePage by two points.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

MAINE: Dem US Senate Candidate Objects To HRC's Endorsement Of GOP Opponent

"My opponent, Republican Susan Collins, had the chance to speak up in favor of marriage equality in 2012 or any time in the previous decade. Two years after her constituents made their feelings known at the ballot box, she has refused to break her silence. I believe Mainers need, want and deserve more proactive representation on equal rights -- on allowing LGBT students to learn without fear of bullying, on applying for jobs and going to work without fear of discrimination, and on much more. I'm running for Senate to provide that proactive representation and to expand Constitutional protections for our LGBT community. This is one endorsement in an election year. Mainers are more interested in both candidates' records, and my record speaks for itself." - Former ACLU of Maine executive director Shenna Bellows, via press release.

RELATED: In an op-ed written for the Huffington Post, last week Bellows vowed that "one of her first acts as senator would be the introduction of a national Human Rights Act to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination in marriage, housing, education, access to credit, public accommodations and employment."

MAINE: Ethics Commission Extends Deadline For NOM To Disclose Donors

Via the Bangor Daily News:

The Maine Ethics Commission gave the National Organization for Marriage a reprieve Wednesday on disclosing the donor list from its 2009 campaign against same-sex marriage in Maine. But the five-person commission did not back down on its demand for the national organization to pay a $50,250 fine for violating the state’s campaign finance and disclosure laws.

Jonathan Wayne, the commission’s executive director, said Wednesday the commission unanimously approved a temporary delay on the disclosure of the national organization’s donors because the group has pledged to take its case to the Maine Superior Court, which would likely allow NOM to keep its donor list private while the case is active. The vote to uphold the fine was also unanimous.

Meanwhile, according to Wayne, NOM has filed complaints against two other national groups, the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which supported same-sex marriage in Maine in 2009, for either not registering as political action committees or not disclosing donors. Those complaints will be considered by the commission at its July 31 meeting.

(Tipped by JMG reader Seth)

MAINE: Susan Collins Becomes Fourth GOP Senator To Endorse Gay Marriage

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has become the fourth GOP member of her chamber to endorse marriage equality.

“A number of states, including my home state of Maine, have now legalized same-sex marriage, and I agree with that decision,” the Maine Republican said in a statement issued after several news organizations made inquiries. Collins joins three other GOP senators who have said they support gay marriage: Illinois’ Mark Kirk, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Ohio’s Rob Portman. She had been criticized for keeping her view to herself until Wednesday. Campaign spokesman Lance Dutson says she has consistently said the decision rests at the state or local level. She has twice voted against proposed constitutional amendments to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

The Human Rights Campaign reacted by endorsing Collins' reelection bid.

“Senator Susan Collins has played a pivotal role in advancing support for LGBT equality -- from her dogged support for the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” to her critical vote for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act last year, to her proud support for marriage equality,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “HRC is proud to stand with Senator Collins, and with allies on both sides of the aisle like her, because she firmly believes that every American should be evaluated based on their abilities, and not who they love.”

“I am grateful for the support that I continue to receive from the Human Rights Campaign for my work in the Senate to end discrimination and achieve LGBT equality,” said Senator Collins. “HRC fully understands the need to have allies in both the Republican and Democratic caucuses, and I am proud of the reputation that I have established for working with my Senate colleagues of both parties in a bipartisan spirit for fairness and equality. I look forward to our continued work together to bring people together and remove barriers that divide us.”

MAINE: Gay Gubernatorial Candidate Grand Marshal's Portland Pride Parade

Via the Associated Press:

A Democratic candidate who reluctantly made public his homosexuality last year found himself serving as the grand marshal of Maine's biggest gay pride parade and festival Saturday and urged activists to continue fighting to eliminate discrimination and promote equality. Mike Michaud, who would become the nation's first openly gay person to be elected governor if he unseats Republican Paul LePage in November, said it would be powerful for the gay community to have a seat at the table in discussions with governors across the country on equality issues. "Maine has come a long ways and our nation has come a long ways, but there's still a long way to go," he said in an interview before he marched alongside a white convertible down the roughly milelong route in downtown Portland.

Bush Senior Parachutes On 90th Birthday

MAINE: One Step Closer To A Gay Gov

Yesterday's Maine gubernatorial primary was a mere formality as both major parties ran uncontested candidates, but openly gay six-term US Rep. Mike Michaud is now one step closer to becoming the nation's first governor to have been out at the time of his election. Michaud, who came out in November 2013, will face incumbent GOP Gov. Paul LePage in the general election. Recent polls show Michaud and LePage in a dead heat. Michaud's departure from Congress will leave six openly gay members in the House.

RELATED: Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey was elected in 2002 and came out in scandal in 2004, resigning several months later.

MAINE: NOM Files Campaign Finance Complaints Against HRC And Task Force

Via the Portland Press Herald:

The National Organization for Marriage, the nation’s leading opponent of gay marriage, has filed two retaliatory complaints claiming that its adversaries violated Maine election laws more than four years ago. The complaints against the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force stem from campaign activity in the 2009 referendum over Maine’s legislatively enacted gay-marriage law, which voters overturned. They are a direct response to a decision May 28 by Maine’s ethics commission to fine the organization a record $52,250 for failing to register as a ballot question committee and keeping its donors and activities secret during the 2009 campaign.  Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, said the anti-gay marriage group’s “nuisance complaint” further illustrates that it operated illegally while his organization followed disclosure laws. John Eastman, board chairman for the National Organization for Marriage, promised to file complaints against his opponents immediately after the five-member Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices accepted findings from a staff investigation that the organization violated Maine law.

(Tipped by JMG reader Tom)

NOM Has The Money Laundering Sadz

"NOM vigorously denies that it violated any disclosure laws during the 2009 campaign opposing same-sex marriage. We worked with legal counsel to understand the law, and we followed that advice. The Commission staff has drawn improper inferences from the circumstances of the campaign environment that they wrongly interpret as meaning that if someone gave to NOM somehow they designated their gift to support the Maine campaign. However, we have submitted direct sworn statements from donors saying they had no such intention and any inference from the Commission staff to the contrary is false. We intend to appeal this decision in court because it is wrong as a matter of law and because the evidence supports our position, not that of the Commission staff.

"Moreover, we appear to be a victim of selective prosecution since major groups on the other side of this same campaign engaged in the same approach we did. In short, while we are disappointed in today's decision, we are not surprised by it and we will continue to resist the idea that somehow we failed to disclose donors to the Maine campaign. We disclosed our contributions to the Maine campaign committee, as Maine law requires. But we did not disclose our entire national donor list because those donors did not donate 'for the purpose of influencing' the Maine campaign, which is the trigger for reporting contributions that Maine law imposes." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, via press release.

RELATED: Earlier today an ethics committee ruled that NOM had violated Maine's campaign finance disclosure law and assessed the highest fine in state history.

MAINE: Ethics Committee Finds NOM Guilty, Eastman Says "We Won't Pay Fine"

UPDATE: The Portland Press Herald reports.

NOM executives, two of whom were present for the hearing, vowed to fight the ruling and protect the anonymity of the organization’s donors. John Eastman, the attorney and board chairman for NOM, said revealing the donors would put them at risk of threats and harassment while hindering the organization’s ability to raise money. Eastman said NOM would appeal Wednesday’s ruling. NOM’s resistance means that more time is likely to pass before the donors to the 2009 campaign are publicly identified. Chris Plante, NOM’s regional director, told the Portland Press Herald last week that the group will “do whatever it takes to defend this and protect our donors’ anonymity.”

Eastman says that NOM will file an ethics complaint against the HRC.

During occasionally heated exchanges, Eastman and Brown said NOM had been singled out by the commission. They argued that the Human Rights Campaign, a gay activist group, operated in the same manner during the 2009 referendum and the 2012 ballot initiative that legalized same-sex marriage in Maine. Eastman said NOM would file an ethics complaint against the Human Rights Campaign for its activities in the referendum battles. Fred Karger, a gay-rights activist from California, filed the complaint against NOM with the Maine ethics commission in 2009. Karger said NOM effectively laundered its donations to conceal the identity of its donors. “NOM definitely picked the wrong state to break the law,” Karger said. Karger said the ruling could assist an investigation that he filed in Iowa in 2013. He is also considering filing another complaint in New Hampshire, where NOM attempted to repeal that state’s same-sex marriage law.

Editorial Of The Day

From the Bangor Daily News:

The results of the commission’s investigation might seem irrelevant now, given that five years have passed — because the commission faced two lawsuits from NOM, both of which NOM lost — and the issue of same-sex marriage is largely settled in Maine. But the principle remains, and the precedent is important. It’s quite likely the state will encounter another organization seeking to hide its major donors one day, and it should be ready.

The point of disclosing donors is not to shame them or harm an organization’s chance of fundraising. Many donors were named on campaign finance reporting forms filed by both sides. The bottom line is Maine residents deserve to know who’s trying to influence their vote. If the commission agrees at its May 28 meeting to impose a fine and require NOM to reveal its donors, it will likely encounter continued resistance. But it’s a fight worth having.

The editorial notes that NOM gave over $2M to Stand For Marriage Maine. According to state law, groups that raise more than $5K for a ballot measure must reveal their donors.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap:

"More than sixteen and a half million Americans gained marriage equality last week, with decisive victories in Oregon and Pennsylvania. We have brand new lawsuits in the last few states that needed one. And the National Organization for Marriage has suffered even more losses this week."

HomoQuotable - Fred Karger

"After nearly five years of Brian Brown and his NOM fighting in court against the investigation that I got launched against them in Maine, the verdict is in and NOM is guilty of numerous counts of election fraud. Ten days after I filed my complaint against NOM in Maine back in 2009, I was subpoenaed by NOM's high-priced attorneys in a federal lawsuit they had filed against California election officials. It was NOM's retribution against me for taking them on in Maine ten days earlier. After over a year of having to personally fight back against NOM's subpoena and paying a lot of attorney fees, it's so great to see justice and fairness win out against the bullies and liars at NOM. It was all worth it! Hopefully we'll see more actions like this against NOM in Hawaii and Iowa where Brian Brown and his NOM are also being investigated by those state ethics' offices on sworn complaints that I personally filed." - 2012 GOP presidential candidate Fred Karger, via press release.