NY's same-sex law boosts Skelos, GOP

ALBANY -- State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos didn't vote for same-sex marriage. But he may be one of its biggest beneficiaries.

Since the Senate passed New York's marriage-equality law in June, same-sex marriage supporters have put hundreds of thousands of dollars into GOP coffers that Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) controls, according to campaign finance records from the New York State Board of Elections. Though Skelos opposed the bill, he allowed the GOP-controlled Senate to vote on the measure.

Overall, the Senate Republican Committee raised $1.9 million in the last half of 2011 compared with $957,361 raised for the same period in 2009, also an election year.

Skelos can direct the money anywhere he wants, even to help Republicans who voted against same-sex marriage, as he tries to protect his control of the Senate. Republicans hold 32 seats, while Democrats have 29; one seat is vacant.

"There are a lot of ironies in politics and this is one of them," said Douglas Muzzio, a political science professor at Baruch College. That the vote on same-sex marriage spurred contributions that may benefit senators who voted against it "may be an example of the law of unintended consequences."

Among supporters of same-sex marriage who donated to the Republican campaign committee in the six months after the vote was Paul Singer, the founder of the Manhattan hedge fund Elliott Management, who gave $150,000, records show. Singer's son, Gordon, gave $50,000 to the committee. Jonathan Pollock, also of Elliott Management, donated $150,000, as did Daniel Loeb, founder of the Third Point hedge fund in Manhattan.

"There's a long history in the LGBT community of supporting those who support us and that has happened more on an individual basis in a bipartisan way," said Ross Levi, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, a group that lobbies for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.

Skelos said Wednesday that while the marriage-equality vote had an impact on fundraising, the increase in donations reflected that the Senate was working with the governor and Assembly to get things done.

"People have contributed because they like the way we function," Skelos said. "The fact that there was a vote of conscience, I think that was critically important."

Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), head of the Democratic committee, said voters should remember that Democrats had been pushing same-sex marriage for years.

The four upstate Republicans who voted for the marriage bill and Skelos may still pay a price for their decisions, Conservative Party chairman Michael Long said.

Conservatives and Republicans who "uphold traditional marriage know that the reason that the marriage laws have now changed in New York State is because of the Republican majority," he said.

Conservatives are "less enthusiastic about the Senate majority standing up for principle and doing the right thing," Long said.