Actually, OutFront has had this PAC for quite a few years. (They just never did anything with it ... including fundraising.)

This "re-launch" might be due to the HRC's launch of a MN PAC, which I hear has raised more than $80K. I don't think HRC would have gone through the effort of setting up a PAC if OutFront wasn't asleep at the wheel for the last few years.

Go figure.

Too bad they are partisan in their support. That's why I would not donate to this PAC. I'd rather give directly to candidates I determine to be friendly to the community and to my other political ideas.

I wouldn't characterize them as partisan; they don't characterize themselves that way. I'm sure they would work to support someone like Koering, or any of the other Republicans that voted against the anti-gay marriage amendment or vote for our interests as LGBT people. Unfortunately, there aren't many.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of support they give to Green and LGBT supportive Independence candidates.

OutFront Action is a non-partisan PAC. It endorsed candidates in legislative elections in 2004, including candidates from multiple parties. And to be clear, Koering has never voted against the amendment; no senator who is not on the Senate Judiciary Committee has ever voted on the amendment. He did, once, cast a procedural vote to keep the proposal in committee instead of bringing it to the floor. Later, he voted the other way on a subsequent, identical effort. He has indicated his support of the amendment.

I'd be interested in hearing more about the HRC Pac. The Outfront Action Pac is nothing new.

To clarify, OutFront Minnesota's PAC was created in 2004. Our election success in 2004 includes the following:

68% of OutFront Minnesota Action-endorsed candidates won their races.

All but one incumbent candidate (39 in all) who voted against the marriage amendment won their race.

Twelve out of thirteen incumbent candidates who voted in favor of the marriage amendment lost their general election races.

OutFront Minnesota announced our updated PAC website in recent e-newsletters to supporters and members to correspond with the 2006 election season.

OutFront Minnesota Action is a nonpartisan political action committee, which means that support and/or endorsement does not correlate to party affiliation, but rather to a candidate's positions and/or voting records on the issues themselves.

Regarding the accusation that we have been "asleep at the wheel," we would like to point out that it was OutFront Minnesota - comprised of our staff, volunteers, members, and allies - which led the effort to defeat the marriage amendment in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

You can visit OutFront Minnesota Action at outfrontaction.org.