Richard Tisei on Principles & Values Middlesex & Essex Republican (MA Senate)

Iconoclast in GOP; former state Senate minority leader

One thing remains the same in Tisei's 2nd straight run for the Democrat-held seat in Massachusetts' 6th District--as an openly-gay New Englander, Tisei is an iconoclast in his party.

The Republican said that he does not find himself in a hostile party. In fact, given that he represents one of the party's best chances to once again hold a New England congressional seat--something he thinks is necessary for the GOP to be a national party--Tisei is seeing plenty of support. "I feel very comfortable with the history of the party," Tisei said, mentioning the GOP's involvement in women's suffrage and the Civil Rights movement. "I'm also a small business owner. I support our free enterprise system," Tisei added. "People should be making choices for themselves, rather than the government making choices for them. So in a lot of the philosophies, both economic and as far as individual rights go, I feel very comfortable in the party.

Endorsed Endorsed by Log Cabin Republicans; supports gay rights.

Log Cabin Republicans is the nation’s largest gay and lesbian Republican organization. Log Cabin was founded to battle the nation’s first anti-gay ballot measure -- California’s Proposition 6 in 1978. We enlisted Ronald Reagan to publicly oppose the measure, which was then defeated. Since then, Log Cabin Republicans has grown and expanded to become a leading voice on the national stage on behalf of the mainstream concerns of the gay and lesbian community.

We care deeply about equality and we hold Republican views on crime, fiscal responsibility, and foreign policy. We believe in individual rights rather than group rights. We believe in limited government rather than big government. We believe that free markets lead to free people and that all Americans should be able to participate fully in the political process.

We represent the next generation for the gay and lesbian community. No longer will we be told where we must live, how we must dress, and how we must vote. Now there is a political alternative. We know that we will move ahead only when gay people are honest about who they really are. And as the far right continues its drive to dominate our Party, Log Cabin Republicans joins other mainstream Republicans on the front lines of the battle for the Republican Party’s future.

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