News

Log Cabin Republicans Launches $250,000 Media Campaign

National Issue Ads on Radio In 12 States and D.C. on Inclusion, Health Care, Civil Rights and "Standing Up For What's Right"

October 2, 2000

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The nation's largest gay Republican organization this morning launched a multi-state issue ad campaign focused on mobilizing gay and lesbian Republicans and educating broad segments of the American public on core issues to the organization, including health care and AIDS funding, an inclusive Republican Party, civil rights, honesty and integrity in government and "standing up for what's right."

The radio ad campaign – nicknamed "Thelma and Louise" – began running today in major markets in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont, New Jersey, Washington state, Maine and the District of Columbia. The radio campaign has a kick-off budget of a quarter of a million dollars and will run through Election Day.

"This ad campaign connects gay and lesbian Republicans to a broader segment of the American public – women, Independents and suburbanites who are the most influential constituencies in this important year and will decide the future of our country," said Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans. "Log Cabin's message is widely viewed as a "good housekeeping seal of approval" by many of these Americans in relation to issues and policies, and we want to let them know our views on these important issues."

The national ad that is running in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington State, Maine and in Washington, D.C., reviews the records of Al Gore and George W. Bush on a number of issues. According to opinion polls, the issues of education, social security, taxes and health care are paramount to most Americans, but the Log Cabin Republicans ad campaign points out it is vital to add that inclusion and trust are crucial elements in weighing the merits of each side of the debate on these issues.

"We are committed to ensuring that inclusion, trust and integrity are front and center in the broader issues debate because – as our entire Strategy 2000 campaign has stressed – these are core issues of importance to gay and lesbian Republicans," Tafel said.

Radio ads running in Illinois, Vermont, Maryland, California, New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia focus largely on legislative issues before Congress, such as AIDS funding, civil rights, education reform and taxes.

"It is very important for the voters to understand that the Republican Congress has made history on health care for people with AIDS," Tafel said. "Since 1995, the Republican Congress has increased AIDS care and treatment funding by hundreds of millions of dollars over President Clinton's own budget requests, and the AIDS death rate nationwide has plummeted by almost 70%. That's leadership, and it's the kind of leadership we can count on. We want to ensure that the American people know the record on this and other important issues, and understand the stakes in November for their own families and communities."

Log Cabin Republicans launched the Strategy 2000 campaign in February 1999, committing to putting issues such as civil rights, an inclusive GOP and AIDS funding on the front burner in the 2000 elections through earned and paid media, grass-roots organizing, playing a key role in the GOP presidential primaries and at the Republican National Convention.

Log Cabin Republicans is the nation's largest gay and lesbian Republican organization, with state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time national office and a federal political action committee.