When New York enacted a marriage equality law last year, Roy McDonald, who represents most of Saratoga, Rensselaer and Columbia counties, was one of four Republican state senators who made it happen.
McDonald explained his vote to reporters in salty, direct language rare for any politician:
You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn't black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing.
You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, fuck it, I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing.
I'm tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I'm trying to do the right thing, and that's where I'm going with this.
Especially after that, McDonald knew he would lose the Conservative Party endorsement he's had forever, and face a Religious Right/tea party primary challenger for the GOP line
supported by NOM, which is raising money to "flush these slippery traitors out of the tall grass and send them packing."
McDonald has been running a strong campaign -- lots of mail and a TV ad (none mentioning his marriage equality vote) -- and earlier tonight he rang the doorbell at my late parents' house where my brother, a registered Republican lives.
More, below.
My brother had signed a petition to get McDonald on the GOP ballot. McDonald and his walking companion thanked my brother for that, and reminded him to be sure to vote in the Sept. 13 primary.
We chatted a bit, I said I couldn't vote for McDonald in the primary, but would consider him in November. My brother said he would definitely vote for McDonald.
What most impressed me was that McDonald was hitting doors an hour from his home.
Most incumbents don't work that hard.
Presumably he understands that he has to, given that the GOP tea party base will be voting against him and he needs the votes of more moderate Republicans like my brother.
No matter the GOP primary result, both McDonald and his challenger will be on the November ballot on third-party lines. Neither will give up if they lose the primary, and the three-way race will provide a good chance for the excellent Democratic candidate, Claverack Supervisor Robin Andrews, to score an upset that would help swing the state Senate away from its current narrow Republican control.
While I appreciate McDonald's courage on marriage equality, he is still essentially a conservative Republican.
And, these days, I only vote for Democrats.