Gay rights
supporters in Maine have fund-raising advantage

Supporters of Maine's existing gay rights law have a nearly 3-to-1 fund-raising lead over groups that want to scrap the law, according to finance disclosure reports. Four political action committees that support the law, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, have raised almost $930,000 through October 27. Two PACs that want to scrap the law have raised a total of about $336,000. Both sides are spending much of that money on television advertising late in the campaign. Mainers will have the final say on Tuesday. Maine Won't Discriminate launched its first television ad on October 25 and followed up with a second TV ad on Wednesday. Opponents of the law created two ads that began airing Wednesday on two cable television systems, Time Warner and Adelphia. "We're certainly encouraged by the fact that we were able to raise money," said Maine Won't Discriminate spokeswoman Nicole Clegg. But she said she "wouldn't read too much" into the funding gap because opponents of the law have a grassroots network of evangelical churches and petition circulators who can help them get out the vote. Paul Madore of the Maine Grassroots Coalition agreed. "Our grassroots campaign has been up close and personal," Madore said. This year's referendum campaign commenced after Governor Baldacci signed a new law in March that would extend the Maine Human Rights Act to make discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, and education. The act already prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, disability, religion, ancestry, and national origin. A conservative church-led alliance including Madore's grassroots coalition and the Christian Civic League of Maine mounted a successful petition drive seeking a people's veto of the expanded law, filing more than 56,000 signatures. (AP)