Did Andre Poll The “Gay” Question?

By fitsnews • on October 15, 2009

Days after the “Is Andre Bauer Gay?” rumor was catapulted from the back pages of the Palmetto political blogosphere into the national media spotlight, South Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor paid $15,000 to conduct a poll, according to campaign finance documents unearthed by the Charleston City Paper.

So … did Andre’s poll ask the “gay” question?

Some apparently believe that it did.

From the CCP:

On Sept. 9, Bauer hired Virginia-based Public Opinion Strategies for a telephone survey, according to newly released campaign disclosures.

It’s hard to say what answer Bauer was looking for in those calls, but it appears that he got it. He’s continued to unofficially campaign for the state’s top spot since then and his gubernatorial campaign is expected to officially kick off by the end of the month.

Reached for comment by FITS on Thursday, Bauer’s campaign said that it did not poll the “gay” question because, among other reasons, Bauer is not gay.

“The Charleston City Paper should stick to covering entertainment news,” said a Bauer advisor.

More to the point, Bauer’s campaign says that it conducted the poll in question “well over a month” before the Internet rumors began circulating, and that the date appearing in the campaign finance documents was simply “the date that the bill for the poll was paid.”

The purpose of the poll was to “test messages” and gauge the impact of the scandals surrounding S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford.

Earlier this year, Bauer was “outed” by a national blog that specializes in pulling gay Republicans out of the closet. Previously, Bauer, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Senate President Glenn McConnell were all “outed” by former Democratic Congressional candidate Linda Ketner, who is a lesbian.

Ketner has since backtracked, claiming she has no specific information to support her statements.

The Bauer story initially went nowhere, at least not until one of Bauer’s allies decided to publicly blame the leak on S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford several days later. That’s when it began to receive airplay at the national level.

All we know is that if you’re a South Carolina politician looking to ask the “gay question,” former S.C. Rep. Bob Walker probably has some consultants he can recommend to you …

Comments

By Jonny D on October 15th, 2009 at 10:54 am

Andre wasn’t polling the “gay” question, he was polling the voters’ opinion of increasing the speed limit to 100 m.p.h.

By Pat Hendrix on October 15th, 2009 at 10:55 am

I’m far less concerned with Glenn’s sexual preference than his toupee. Does he have it dry cleaned or is it Woolite?

By inkog on October 15th, 2009 at 11:00 am

nobody cares is Andre is gay or not.
people care that he is doing nothing about Sanfraud

make a note Andre

By sclawboy on October 15th, 2009 at 11:18 am

I care whether Andre is gay. Mainly because if he is, he is another Repbulican hypocrite who panders to conservative Christians (”I believe” license plate) and old people, neither of whom would likely want anything to do with him if he is, in fact, playing hide the salami with Linday.

By Elliot on October 15th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

Just becasue he likes a PePe should not disqualify him from being Governor.

By Brandon on October 15th, 2009 at 2:51 pm

It makes zero difference in a statewide race. Lindsey Graham is living proof.

By Eric on October 15th, 2009 at 7:30 pm

But then again Graham was never outed in such a fashion. A national outing is a big deal.

By scooter on October 15th, 2009 at 7:56 pm

Just plain fact here: He is not gay. We have NO business peeking into anyone’s bedroom. Leadership, compassion, charity, character, talents have nothing to do with one’s sexual orientation. Let’s start welcoming all people instead of hating and fearing people who may not look like us. For pity sake, let’s get over this gossip meant to bring down a good man, and for that matter, stop caring whether anyone is or is not gay. If you care so much, be careful not to look too closely in your own backyard.

By Pooter on October 15th, 2009 at 8:31 pm

Lindsay is fine. Glenn needs to think about switching to Garnier Nutrisse. It is a far better looking dye than the grape juice/prune juice combo he is currently using. As for Andre, he needs to think about wearing pearls with his robe. Pearls make a statement, “Look at me! I’m chic!” This really comes in handy when you’re pulled by the cops. They will think you’re sophisticated.

By Philip on October 15th, 2009 at 9:43 pm

Scooter, sure we have some business peeking into politicians’ bedrooms… especially if these politicians are in positions in which they can statutorily define “marriage,” or if their bedroom antics affect their credibility.

Plus, we all know the real test of a governor should be his ability to match his belt and shoes and be able to give a 50-minute discourse on plaid as a fashion feaux-pax.

But, until former bunk-buddy steps up to the plate, I guess we’ll continue to deal in innuendo and rumor for the time being.