Peake performance

In Rep. Sarah Peake's first two runs for office for the Fourth Barnstable District House seat, which represents the Lower and Outer Cape, the issue of marriage equality was one of the central issues in the campaign. This election cycle LGBT issues have largely taken a backseat to more pressing concerns about the economy, but Peake, who is openly gay, accused her Republican opponent, former Harwich Selectman Don Howell, of using her sexuality as a wedge issue. Howell disputed Peake's charges and pointed to his own record of support for marriage equality, a stance he believes has cost him support among some of the more conservative voters in the district.

Peake pointed to comments made by Howell during a debate Oct. 6 in Orleans. According to coverage of the debate in the Harwich Oracle Howell told the crowd, "I actually have children," during a discussion of the economic forces driving young people to move away from the Cape to find work. The Oracle reporter interpreted the remark as "apparently making a jab at Peake, who lives with her partner, Lynn, and does not have children." Peake told Bay Windows she believes Howell made the remark to highlight the fact that Peake is a lesbian, and she said he has made similar comments both on his blog at CapeCodToday.com and in a recent fundraising letter obtained by Peake's campaign. In an Aug. 8 posting on his blog Howell wrote, "I understand how hard it is to raise a family here (with a mortgage to pay, tuition loans building, insurance to pay and a heating tank looming ominously to fill), because "I have a family." Peake declined to provide Bay Windows with a copy of the fundraising letter but claimed the comments were similar to those found in Howell's blog.

"The pitch that he makes, 'I actually have a family and I have actually raised [children].' ... And you and I know that that is just code to use the fact that I'm a lesbian as a wedge issue in this race," said Peake.

Howell called Peake's claims "absolute nonsense," saying that he made his remarks to highlight his experience as a parent, not to draw attention to Peake's sexual orientation.

"There's nothing to preclude a gay couple from adopting or fostering, which I've done both of. ... Hetero couples don't have the corner of the market on loving families," said Howell, who said he has served as a foster parent to two children and adopted one.

He said he wanted to emphasize that as a parent he understood how difficult it was for young people to find work on the Cape and that the economy was forcing many of them to move out of town.

"It's an economic discussion because it's hard to raise a family here, it's hard to keep kids employed here rather than having them leave the state, and I think it's a valid discussion," said Howell.

Howell's track record shows a strong commitment to marriage equality. In 2006 he ran in the Republican primary for the Fourth Barnstable seat, which was vacated that year by Republican Rep. Shirley Gomes, who opposed same-sex marriage. Howell announced his support for marriage equality, and he won MassEquality's endorsement, as Peake did in the Democratic primary that year. Howell lost by a razor-thin margin to Aaron Malloy, who opposed same-sex marriage despite being gay himself, and Peake defeated Malloy that November. Howell said given his willingness to support marriage equality in the past it makes no sense for him to launch anti-gay tactics this election season.

"It was a heck of a lot more of a courageous act for me to [come out for same-sex marriage] than for her. I think it probably cost me my party's nomination," said Howell.

Peake accused Howell of trying to use her sexual orientation as a wedge issue to win over conservative voters in the district who declined to support him last time around. She said she believes her sexuality will have little impact on the election.

"He's not telling anybody anything they don't know. And I think if it's something that resonates with someone, they already know I'm a lesbian, and they were already not going to vote for me," said Peake.

Beyond the argument over Howell's comments LGBT issues have played almost no role in the current campaign, a change from Peake's first two runs for the seat. Back in 2004, when the state first allowed same-sex couples to marry and when the legislature was debating a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, Peake made an unsuccessful bid to unseat Gomes, in part over her opposition to same-sex marriage. Two years later, after Gomes announced her retirement, Peake ran again. At the time marriage equality advocates were working to win over three-quarters of the legislature to vote down an anti-gay marriage amendment, and MassEquality endorsed Peake, hoping to flip Gomes' seat from the anti-equality to the pro-equality column. Peake defeated Malloy, winning 56 percent of the vote, and in June 2007 she joined with lawmakers in voting down a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

This election season LGBT rights are a virtual non-issue in Peake's re-election campaign, taking a backseat to concerns about the economy, healthcare and education.

"I think the economy's at the forefront of people's minds," said Peake. She said she's banking on voters looking to her success in bringing funding into the district, including securing money to save the Flex Bus public transportation system that runs from Harwich to P'town and passing a water protection act she argues will bring in money to address wastewater needs.

Peake also said she is focused on ensuring that the Cape does not lose important funding during the current round of budget cuts, or in future cuts. She said much of the Cape's state funding comes from earmarks, and in Gov. Deval Patrick's most recent round of budget cuts many services that received funding through the earmark process took a hit, including dental programs and HIV/AIDS programs.

"We're going to have to have some very serious and frank discussions with some agencies and department heads about how they're choosing to distribute the remaining funds that they have," said Peake.

Her focus on economic issues was readily apparent at an Oct. 24 fundraiser at the Chatham VFW. The event was billed as an old-fashioned political rally, and it drew a diverse crowd of about 70 supporters, representing conservative sections of the district like Chatham and liberal strongholds like P'town. Attendees chowed down on barbecue and kibitzed over the music from a local jazz trio, and before making her formal remarks Peake moved through the crowd, embracing longtime supporters and introducing herself to new faces.

Addressing the crowd Peake said that when the state makes cuts to the budget, "we shoulder an unfair portion of those cuts." She expressed her determination to protect the Cape's budget priorities, and she also talked up her work on the Flex Bus and the water bill.

Peake also pumped up the crowd by announcing her sweep of local newspaper endorsements. She announced to the crowd that over a period of several days she picked up the endorsements of the Cape Cod Times, the Oracle, the Provincetown Banner and the Cape Codder. The mention of each paper prompted cheers from the crowd.

"So, we're on a roll," said Peake.

She got a boost from one of the state's political power players, Senate President Therese Murray, who told the crowd she has happy "to support someone who has just been an outstanding member of the Massachusetts legislature." She praised Peake for her commitment to constituent services and said Peake had the good judgment to identify which priorities to fight for in the face of future budget cuts.

If money is any indicator Peake looks poised to retain her seat. According to newly released reports by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) Peake had more than $45,000 in her campaign account by mid-October, compared to just under $2200 in Howell's account. Over the period from September through mid-October Peake raised nearly eight times as much money as Howell. Even though the swing district was sitting comfortably in Republican hands just two years ago the state party apparatus has failed to divert significant funds into his campaign.

Peake said she has not done any polling in the district, but based on the reactions she has gotten doing campaign standouts and appearances across the district she believes she has a broad base of support.

"As I am spending time in the different communities certainly my face and name recognition is very high," added Peake.

Howell hasn't done any polling either, but said he has gotten a good response door knocking in the district. He said he has focused much of his campaign message on his push for greater transparency and an end to one-party rule on Beacon Hill. Among the policies he would champion are an eight-year term limit for lawmakers and a searchable online database of legislators' votes in committees. He also said as a former small business owner with a background in economics he would be best suited to help steer the district through the economic crisis, and he hoped LGBT voters in the district would give him consideration.

"It gets down to representing everyone in the district, not as members of a particular advocacy group, but the whole district," said Howell.

Peake said she was proud to cast a vote to kill the marriage amendment, and she was also happy to vote last July to repeal the 1913 law, which banned most out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying in Massachusetts. She said the comparative lack of fanfare over the 1913 law vote was a positive sign of how much the debate over LGBT rights has changed since the defeat of the marriage amendment.

"What struck me was how far we've come. We've gone from this being the political third rail to, come on, we've got important things to work on, let's just do this," said Peake.