Delaware’s next U.S. senator could be an openly gay Democrat or Republican.
Progressive Kerri Harris and Republican Gene Truono are competing to replace incumbent Democrat Sen. Tom Carper.
Harris said she doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as the “gay candidate.” But she also says it’s important for her to be open about who is.
Harris served in the Air Force when being open about her sexual orientation could mean losing everything. She said she was afraid to report it when a fellow soldier tried to rape her for fear it would expose her secret.
“I was determined that after I was no longer in that situation where I had to hide because I wanted to make career, that I would live my life completely open and that’s where I am now,” she said.
Truono is competing against fellow Republican Rob Arlett in Sept. 6th’s primary.
He married his husband in 2011 and said it’s simply part of who he is. And he believes there’s been a societal shift on this issue that includes most Republicans.
“I met with an evangelical minister early on and he said ‘Gene you know some of my colleagues don’t agree with me but you know but the gay marriage issue is a decided issue and I recommend to them as I will say to you that I’m more concerned about other conservative principles,'” he said.
Both candidates joke that if they each win their primaries at least the issue of their sexual orientations would be a moot point in the general election.
