Gay Austinite Snubbed By Fellow Republicans

According to the Dallas Voice (by way of Burnt Orange), Austinite Edward Mokrzy - a gay Republican formerly living in Dallas - was promised support by the Republican Party in the upcoming primaries for the House of Representatives. Oddly enough, the National Republican Congressional Committee reneged on its pledge to cover his filing costs after Mokrzy announced his intention to run as an openly gay candidate and on a "government reform" platform.

Color us ignorant (and Log Cabiners notwithstanding), but aren't these cardinal sins numeros uno and dos (respectively!) according to the Grand Ole' Party? Or might we just be looking at things through our big gay glasses? The whole tiff stems from way back when no other Republican candidate could be found for the 25th congressional district; currently, incumbent Lloyd "Gone" Doggett and Libertarian candidate Meagan Barclay are the only others in the running. In less-than-shocking news, the NRCC feigned ignorance in the whole matter, continuing a lovely tradition so earnestly begun by old Gipper himself:

Carl Forti, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said he was unaware of such a pledge being made to Mokrzy. “I don’t know if there was a specific pledge to him or not,” Forti said.

Carla Halbrook, a spokeswoman for Log Cabin Republicans who lives in Dallas, said she is unfamiliar with Mokrzy or any support for him from gay Republicans in Texas.

“I don’t know anything about him, and I haven’t heard anything about him,” Halbrook said.

We have to admit, though, that Mokrzy strikes us as a less-than-ideal candidate:

Mokrzy said that although he is young with a limited education, he believes it is possible to win the election. Some people have asked him why he would start his political career by seeking a congressional office, rather than a local or regional one, he said.

Mokrzy said he decided to enter politics after a “little college” and a short career of working for large retail stores.

“I got to thinking I’ve got to change something,” Mokrzy said. “I started studying up on my interests. Politics has interested me since before George W. Bush ever entered the presidential race.”

Seriously, Mokrzy. Let's sit down and have a chat, Barbara Walters-like. Unless you're, say, fifteen years old.

* Image (C) Eric Gay