Alesi Down, But Maxing Out

James Alesi

State Sen. James Alesi chose not to run for re-election after voting for same-sex marriage last year, but he’s stayed involved by maxing out in contributions to the other three Republican senators who joined him in supporting the measure. Close primary races involving two of the senators – Sen. Steve Saland, who narrowly won, and Sen. Roy McDonald, who narrowly lost – were hailed by opponents as proof that passing the law was a mistake. But Alesi, who distributed $16,800 apiece to McDonald, Saland and Sen. Mark Grisanti from his own campaign account, is more optimistic. “All three of them were in difficult primaries, and I think that their votes were not only a strong display of their personal courage, which to me means that everybody should do everything that they can to make sure that those three senators get returned to office,” he said. “But it was also a vote that was an important tool in returning the Republican majority to the Senate because the issue of marriage equality was dealt with last year and not in an election year. … To try to say that there’s a downside that only goes on the shoulders of Roy McDonald is missing the entire picture.”