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Poll: Re-Election Difficulties for LGBT Allies Conyers and Kilpatrick?

Two of the biggest names in Detroit politics and two of the LGBT community's biggest supporters on Capitol Hill face serious re-election difficulties in 2010, according to a new poll published by the Detroit Free Press. Reps. John Conyers Jr. and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, both of whom have been tainted by federal corruption convictions involving family members, each lose to hypothetical opponents if the election were held today.

A poll of 300 voters each in Kilpatrick's and Conyers' congressional districts shows that only 27% of the people polled would vote for Kilpatrick. Conyers' numbers are stronger with 40% of the people polled saying they would vote for him. But only 34% of voters in Kilpatrick's district and just 22% in Conyers' district say the problems of their son and wife, respectively, affect their opinions of the two Congress members.

Kilpatrick is the mother of the disgraced and anti-gay former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Conyers, the veteran congressman who chairs the powerful House Judiciary Committee, is the husband of former Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers who recently pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges. Cheeks Kilpatrick is considered "the weakest of the two," reports the Free Press.

At 80-years-old, Conyers is the second-longest serving member in the House. Conyers is the lead sponsor of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act. Conyers and Kilpatrick both signed the recent letters to the Obama Administration demanding an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" investigations and declaring they would not vote for health care reform without a public option. Conyers has a 100% HRC Rating. Cheeks Kilpatrick is rated at 85%. 

Conyers and Kilpatrick Could Have it Tough [Det FreeP]

Alcee Hastings and 76 Congressmen Call for End to DADT Investigations

Seventy-seven congressmen, led by Florida Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings, have sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him "to take immediate action" and stop investigations of  "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" violations, reports The Advocate. The new strategy calls for immediate executive action, followed by legislative repeal of  DADT. . 

"'It is a presidential moratorium, it is a significant presidential action, but it's not an executive order,' said Christopher Neff, political director at the Palm Center, a research institute at University of California, Santa Barbara. 'They basically want the military to disregard anyone who 'tells' [of someone's sexuality] as long as there isn't a [Uniform Code of Military Justice] violation or something criminal.' Neff called the move by congressional members 'gutsy'. 'Having 77 members step up sends a strong message that there is movement on this issue and that it doesn't have to wait three years for a bill to pass Congress,' Neff said."

Last week the Senate Majority "Leader" Harry Reid said he wanted the House to move on a filed in March. That bill, sponsored by California's outgoing Rep. Ellen Tauscher, has 144 bipartisan sponsors. This latest move punts the issue to the White House—for now.

AFTER THE JUMP, the full text of the letter complete with signatories. It can also be viewed on Rep. Hastings' website. Reps. John Conyers (D-MI), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and many members of the Congressional Black Caucus are signatories. (Well, not everyone.) Did your representative sign the letter?