Crow Wing GOP chair sees possible problems ahead for Koering

Brian D. Lehman, Crow Wing County Republican Party chair, said Wednesday a lot of Crow Wing County residents are "very unhappy" with Sen. Paul Koering's break with the GOP on the Defense of Marriage Act and predicted his sexual orientation could cause political problems if it causes Koering to "vote the wrong way."

Koering, a first-term Republican senator from Fort Ripley, announced Wednesday he was gay. He voted no last week on a procedural motion that would have forced a floor vote on the Senate on the subject of same-sex marriage.

Lehman said it's too early to predict Koering's chances of gaining the Republican endorsement for another term.

"If his personal preference for the homosexual lifestyle sways his vote incorrectly and against the Republican Party platform, then I would take issue with that and I would think other people on the (county) executive committee might take issue with that and citizens in Crow Wing County and District 12," Lehman said.

The county chair said the Defense of Marriage Act was a top priority of the Republican Party and Koering would be advised to follow the Republican platform.

"We need him to be for DOMA," Lehman said.

MIKE O'ROURKE can be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.