News

Log Cabin Praises Selection of Gov. Marc Racicot to Lead RNC

The Right Man at the Right Time for the GOP

December 6, 2001

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The nation's largest gay Republican organization today joined a wide range of Republican activists and leaders in applauding President Bush's selection of former Governor Marc Racicot of Montana to lead the Republican National Committee.

At a ceremony yesterday in the White House, President Bush praised Racicot as a "compassionate conservative" who will reach out to minorities as chairman of the RNC.

"Governor Racicot is the right man at the right time for the GOP," said Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans. "He understands that inclusion wins for the Republican Party. Our future success as a party depends entirely on the ability of our leaders to model themselves on President Bush's mainstream, inclusive leadership and his commitment to the political center. Governor Racicot is the right person to steer a mainstream GOP to victory. We look forward to continuing to work with him."

"We urge the Republican National Committee to elect Marc Racicot unanimously as their Chairman at the RNC winter meeting," Tafel said.

Racicot was governor of Montana from 1992 to 2000, and enjoyed wide popularity. He led the GOP takeover of the state House of Representatives, and expanded the GOP majorities in both houses of the state legislature. He retired last year due to term limits. In 1995, Racicot intervened to block a bill in the legislature that would have classified gays along with murderers and rapists under state law. In 1998, he denounced the murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in neighboring Wyoming, and called for "moral repudiation by society" against anti-gay violence. In 2000, Racicot directed the state to rewrite employment protection rules to ensure gay and lesbian state employees were not discriminated against.

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