Angle backs gay-basher

Former Republican U.S. Senate nominee Sharron Angle of Nevada raised money for an Alabama U.S. House candidate running in a special election on an anti-gay platform.

Real estate developer Dean Young is running for an open seat and says things like, “I'm against homosexuals pretending like they're married.” He demanded that his opponents sign a multi-point anti-gay pledge that, among other things, called for a litmus test to sit on a party governing body. It commits signers to a “by-law change to expel any member of the Republican Executive Committee who opposes the party position by supporting gay marriage.” The pledge also includes this clause: “The tenants of my church oppose gay marriage.”

In first round voting last week in a primary with four other candidates, Young came in second, thus qualifying for a runoff election. He received 23 percent of the vote to 35 percent for former state Sen. Bradley Byrne, setting up a Nov. 5 runoff between Byrne, a mainstream conservative, and Young, a religious conservative.

In a fundraising email, Angle wrote that Young is a “courageous fiscal and social conservative.” She made a $10,000 purchase of cable television time for Young, according to Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper.