Controversial N.J. Campaigner Has Ties to Group Headed by Columnist

By: E&P Staff A same-sex-marriage opponent who has hurt a "clean elections" effort in New Jersey is an officer of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) group headed by columnist Maggie Gallagher, The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., reported today.

Brian Brown, who chairs an organization called Common Sense America, is running a media and phone campaign against N.J. Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein -- one of the candidates in the state's 14th district who agreed to fundraising and spending limits in return for public financing. But the money Brown is spending to attack Greenstein (who reportedly opposes a constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriage) is putting her at a disadvantage in the race.

Brown is also executive director of NOM, of which Gallagher is president. An E&P look at the NOM Web site this morning showed a "Stop Same Sex Marriage in New Jersey!" link. But Brown told Star-Ledger reporters Josh Margolin and Robert Schwaneberg that Gallagher isn't connected with Common Sense America.

In 2005, it was revealed that Gallagher received money from the Bush administration to promote the president's push to encourage (heterosexual) marriage as a way of strengthening families. Gallagher, whose column is distributed by Universal Press Syndicate, apologized back then for not disclosing the funding to readers when she wrote about the Bush marriage initiative.

Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker told The Star-Ledger that if Common Sense America succeeds in defeating Greenstein, the "clean elections" program might be hurt because participating politicians who don't have the money to rebut attacks from groups like Brown's would feel they've "unilaterally disarmed."