Fight Back N.Y. to Target Stachowski

Fight Back New York, the PAC dedicated to the defeat of state lawmakers who vote against equality, announced Tuesday that it would target state senator Bill Stachowski of Buffalo, one of eight Democrats who voted against the marriage equality bill last year.

In a news release, Fight Back said Stachowski, who appears vulnerable to challenges from the left and the right, would be placed in the cross hairs of its independent expenditure campaign.

"Sen. Stachowski's voted against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) New Yorkers at every turn, whether it's nondiscrimination protections or marriage equality. He's been part of the dysfunctional New York State Senate for far too long -- 30 years. Sen. Stachowski does not represent fair-minded New Yorkers, and it's time we hold him accountable. We need your help," said the release.

Fight Back New York spokeswoman Sarah Kennedy told The Advocate that the PAC would begin to reach out to voters in Stachowski's Buffalo district immediately.

"We're going to be dropping mail pieces to voters in Stacchowksi's district," she said. "Those should be dropping today, depending on the mail. Everyone else should continue to stay tuned."

The anti-Stachowski mailer (pictured) plays on a definition of "insanity," which it defines as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Fight Back New York, which is funded by gay philanthropist Tim Gill, burst onto the scene this winter by contributing to the defeat of former state senator Hiram Monserrate, another Democrat who voted against marriage equality. Given that voters soured on Monserrate for other high-profile reasons including his domestic violence conviction, the Stachowski race could help to clarify the true resonance of the message against anti-equality legislators.