KS republican says Democrats should not be Catholics

Steve Fitzgerald, a Republican candidate for the Kansas state Senate, is defending his comments last week that Democrats should not be Catholics, saying was trying to tell a Catholic group in Kansas City about the need for the Democratic Party to change.

Fitzgerald, who is challenging state Sen. Kelly Kultala (D-Kansas City), said he told a meeting of the Polish American Club that he believes the country needs two strong political parties, and that the Democratic Party's national platform has moved away from the views of the Bible and the Catholic Church.

"My main point is that the Democratic platform and policies nationally are an attempt to redefine marriage in effect to say what Christ has said about marriage is a lie," Fitzgerald told HuffPost. "Christ said marriage is between one man and one woman and the Democratic platform said that it's not true. So therefore, my point was that one cannot support the Democratic platform and be a follower of Christ."

Attendees of the Polish American Club meeting, including Kultala, said the 25 audience members were largely silent during Fitzgerald's presentation. Walter Kaszko, the club's president, said Fitzgerald's presentation differed from those of other candidates in that it centered on social and religious issues. The group -- which has been meeting monthly in the same basement room since 1925 -- used the presentations to determine which candidate it would back in the upcoming election. The club, which has trended Democratic since it's founding, backed Kultala over Fitzgerald.

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