Politics & Government

Former Illinois GOP Chief Lobbying for Gay Marriage

Pat Brady of St. Charles registers as a lobbyist for the ACLU.

St. Charles resident and former Illinois Republican Party chairman is taking up the torch for gay marriage after registering as a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union, the Quad-City Times’ Springfield bureau reported Tuesday.


Brady, who chaired the state’s conservatives for four years until he resigned in May, told the  Quad-City Times’ Kurt Erickson that he will  concentrate primarily on convincing Republican lawmakers to support the legalization of gay marriage.

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While the state Senate, in its spring session, voted narrowly to approve a bill that would legalize gay marriage, the legislation had the support of only one Republican out of Bloomington, the Times reported. But lawmakers subsequently adjourned for the summer without a House vote on the bill. Democrats did not believe they had enough votes to pass the measure.

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The Times notes that Brady startled conservatives in the spring when he suggested House and Senate Republicans should support the legalization of gay marriage. But he told the Times he was not representing the party when he made those remarks, which he said he made on his own.

About a month after resigning his state GOP chairmanship, Brady joined former Iowa GOP chairman Matt Strawn and Chicago business adviser Bob Fitzsimmons to form Next Generation Public Affairs Inc.


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