Gay-marriage foe takes on fellow Democrat for House seat

Liberal state Representative Jay Kaufman is being challenged by a candidate who opposes gay marriage and abortion. The surprise is that his opponent is another Democrat.

Ed Crowley, a former alderman from Woburn, will face Kaufman in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary for the 15th Middlesex District seat that represents parts of Arlington, Lexington, and Woburn. The winner is expected to run against Catherine D. Ryan, an Arlington Republican, in the general election.

"I think it's totally wrong," Crowley said of same-sex marriages. "The reason I'm opposed is because it's against natural law. It's against the blueprint of our creator. It has nothing to do with my religion. It's natural law embedded in all of us."

Kaufman, a Lexington resident, said, "While I respect his religious convictions, in the pluralistic society no one set of beliefs trumps another. Our debate about same-sex marriage was a debate about civil rights and about justice for all. Any denial of basic rights is quite simply an injustice, and I think it violates both democrat ideals and the Democratic platform."

Kaufman voted against a state constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as the union between a man and a woman and voted against same-sex civil unions, saying it would create an unequal institution.

"My actions support the [Supreme Judicial Court] decision on same-sex marriage," said Kaufman, who added that he was proud of the "role I was able to play in advancing civil rights."

But the difference in their positions isn't the only reason Crowley is running against the incumbent.

"He's unopposed," said Crowley. "It's very bad when a person is unopposed. A person doesn't have to define himself. My running makes him define himself. He has to say what he stands for, what he's done. If not, he sails right in."

Crowley added, "Basically we have a one-party system in Massachusetts -- all Democrats. I represent a choice. He's very, very liberal."

Ideological labels are "broad-brush generalizations," said William Mayer, an associate professor of political science at Northeastern University. "What passes for liberal in Oklahoma is not liberal by comparison to Massachusetts. As you go from state to state, the entire ideological spectrum tends to get shifted."

Among Democrats in Massachusetts, there is a range of viewpoints. Mayer cited exit polls by Voter Research Service, a company that polls for the networks, from the 2000 presidential primary showing five groups of Democrats in the state: 19 percent consider themselves very liberal, 37 percent somewhat liberal, 37 percent moderately liberal, 7 percent somewhat conservative, and 1 percent very conservative.

But party and ideological labels are often not decisive in elections, Mayer said. He noted that although Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans, the last four gubernatorial elections have been won by Republicans. "Some Democrats are not really happy with the complexion of the Massachusetts Democratic party," he said.

At the local level, he added, "Name recognition, service to the district, participation in community affairs, tends to be more significant than ideology."

Crowley, who retired from the Somerville school system and is now a real estate agent, is a graduate of Boston State College and Boston College, a Marine Corps veteran, a husband, and a father of two sons. Crowley ran unsuccessfully against state Representative Carol Donovan, a Woburn Democrat, a few years ago. He decided to oppose Kaufman last year, collected the necessary 150 signatures, and submitted his papers last month.

He favors only heterosexual marriages and counseling before any marriage, opposes abortion, and opposes tearing down any viable schools unless they are structurally unsound or functionally obsolete.

Kaufman, who also has a background in education, has been in the state House of Representatives since 1995. His work in the House has focused on such areas as the environment, health care, and education.

Though the two candidates are polar opposites on some high-profile issues, they both agree that some changes are needed in health care.

For Crowley, "my top priority is going to be health insurance . . . trying to bring down the premiums. Insurance [costs] are killing people. The amount of money they have to pay is horrible. Something has to be done on that."

Kaufman said that rather than relying mainly on an employer-based system of health insurance, costs should have a "broad-based funding mechanism that fits a universal need. We need to be taxing all of us if we are really serious about universal service."

Kaufman said he is taking Crowley's challenge seriously, and said he would participate in debates if any are scheduled.

Crowley isn't making any predictions, saying only: "I'll find out election day."

Denise Dub can be reached at dube@globe.com.