OLYMPIA, Wash. - When he became the first openly gay candidate to win a seat in the Washington Legislature, Cal Anderson could not count on experienced consultants, high-priced polling data or slick PR campaigns to help pave the way.
"There were no resources," recalled state Rep. Ed Murray, who worked on Anderson's 1988 campaign and eventually followed his mentor to the Capitol. "He had to break ground all on his own."
Anderson died of AIDS in 1995, but if he were running the same campaign today, he could call on a lengthy roster of seasoned operatives and advisers to help navigate the political waters faced by gay candidates.
Observers say that network reflects the gay political movement's growing maturity. But at the same time, the difficulty in recruiting gay candidates illustrates the challenges of being "out" in American politics.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060616/ap_on_el_ge/candidates_coming_out
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