Sue Cohen, who lives in Sam Arora's district in Maryland, writes:
I have lived in District 19 since 1981, so trust me -- any talk Sam Arora spews about "constituency concerns over marriage equality" are bogus and outright lies. The only Republican (before redistricting) we have sent to Congress was that now-extinct species -A liberal Republican, Connie Morella).
After running on a progressive Democratic platform including Marriage Equality and receiving the endorsement of Equality Maryland, District 19 elected Sam Arora to his first term as one of our three Delegates.And remember, Sam's got a secret. He was for marriage equality - rabidly for it - and then, over 3 days in February of last year, something strange happened, and suddenly he was against it. No explanations. If it were his religion, that concern would have kicked in long before 3 strange days in February. He'd have been against marriage equality from the beginning, rather than bragging, publicly and privately, about how he was going to get marriage passed in Maryland. Instead, something happened behind closed doors, and Sam Arora is refusing to say what.
On Friday, February 17, Mr. Arora turned his back on the wishes of his constituents and was the ONLY Montgomery County Democrat to vote AGAINST marriage equality which narrowly passed the State House.
I have been trying to reach Mr. Arora since Friday evening to learn why he changed his mind and vote, especially since he was a co-sponsor of the legislation in last year's session in Annapolis.
Mr. Arora is apparently in hiding, and has refused to answer any phone or email messages. He has offered no public explanations for his change of heart and vote, other than to echo NJ Governor Chris Christie with a pathetic call for a referendum (the last bastion of the political coward).
I will do everything in my power to ensure that Del. Arora is a one-term delegate. District 19 has a proud history of progressive activism and we expect those who represent us to do just that!"
That's creepy as hell. And it means that on any other issue, Arora could be just as flaky, just as untrue to his word. Sam Arora needs to come clean with his constituents about what is influencing him behind close doors. And the Democratic party, in Maryland and nationwide, is now put on notice that Sam Arora is damaged goods. They'd better not support a known homophobe for re-election.
