The race for governor offered up four variations of pro-gay candidates in the March primary–three Democratic and one Republican. But only one candidate who could be considered pro-gay, Rod Blagojevich, made it through primary season. Now Blagojevich faces off against a Republican who once signed a letter backing the state gay-rights bill but who, now that he is running for governor, not only backed off that support, but also ran anti-gay attack ads downstate. Democrat Rod Blagojevich has a 100% pro-gay voting record as a U.S. Congressman, while Republican Attorney General Jim Ryan has distanced himself from whatever minor support he once gave to gay civil rights. For progressive groups of all kinds, from Equality Illinois and HRC and Personal PAC and NOW, Blagojevich is their man for governor. He also scored 14 of 16 correct answers on the Windy City Times questionnaire, while Ryan’s campaign did not return the form. And finally, Blagojevich has also attended events in the community, including GLBT benefits for his campaign bid. During the primary season, Blagojevich sat down with Windy City Times for a lengthy interview. This busy general election season, Blagojevich called WCT the day after his contentious Oct. 24 televised debate to discuss the final stretch of his quest for the governor’s mansion. “I felt there was a pretty good response from last night’s debate,” Blagojevich said. “We felt good about it. I had a meeting this morning with African American ministers, and their response was very positive.” Referring to Jim Ryan, Blagojevich said “he can get angry–I only wish he had gotten that angry at the corruption [in George Ryan’s administration as secretary of state prior to becoming governor]. Jim Ryan did nothing to address these things–he promised eight years ago to fix child support collection. Now we have the worst collection in the country, seniors get the lowest discounts on drugs in the country. He is the key consumer advocate–it would be nice if he got angry over issues that mattered.” Blagojevich said Ryan began a negative campaign early, and was cynical in his TV ads about a women’s right to choose and domestic partnerships. While Blagojevich does favor domestic partner benefits, he does not support marriage–despite this, Ryan’s TV ads said that Blagojevich did favor same-sex marriage. “I support a woman’s right to choose, he would take it away even in cases of rape and incest,” Blagojevich said. “On gay rights… on civil rights, I have a very strong record in Congress and in the state house. I support domestic-partner agreements.” Blagojevich said he also wants to extend same-sex partner benefits to state employees, similar to what Chicago and Cook County governments now provide. He said he is pursuing whether this could be done with an executive order, or if it would need to be done legislatively. If Democrats control the state House and Senate, “We would be able to pass partner benefits, and state Rep. Larry McKeon’s gay-rights bill as well. I think that can happen immediately if the Democrats control the House and Senate.” As for the looming state budget crisis, Blagojevich believes that social services and healthcare will not lose critical funding. “The budget is all about setting priorities. On healthcare, AIDS, and others, those are priorities and have to be fully funded. I am not about to balance the budget on the backs of fundamental healthcare programs. I will not cut AIDS funding.” Asked about the Department of Children and Family Services, and its horrible record on care for GLBT teens, Blagojevich said he would make changes. “I would like to meet with GLBT leaders to get a better understanding of the practical consequences. I am running to change a system in Springfield which is corrupt, or accepts corruption, or is so tired that it has no new ideas. Too many departments and agencies are going on a model from the late 1970s. DCFC is a classic place where new issues, new changes, new ideas are needed. This race in an opportunity to make a lot of these changes.” Blagojevich also said crime and hate-crimes are also a priority. “The hate-crimes legislation we have is a product of activism that came from the gay and lesbian community,” he said, adding that he also wants to address the issue of bullying in school, for both gay and straight children. While he has a solid record on progressive causes, some were upset with his vote for increased war powers handed to President Bush. Blagojevich sits on the Armed Services Committee in the House and has strong views about the issue, even while going against most Democrats from Illinois. “I believe Saddam Hussein is evil and a threat to the U.S. I believe his unwillingness to allow the UN inspectors to determine what level of chemical, biological and nuclear capabilities there are in Iraq is a sign he is a threat and dangerous. It is undeniable he has those–I sit on the House Armed Services Committee, and I am privy to information that his nuclear capabilities are one-to-five years away. I have an interest in protecting our public and the U.S. “Giving Bush the ability to be able to militarily interdict [is important.] I also believe in diplomacy. I believe the president empowered, with Congress behind him, sends a signal to Saddam and our allies, and that in turn puts more pressure on Saddam. So he could back down without the need to use military force. It is important to take a strong position, for our national security. “You always prefer to vote with your party, but sometimes you have to be willing to break when you think there’s a better course.” Blagojevich said he has been working hard and organizing closely with his allies in the gay community, “making sure we have a big effort in the next 11 days–to start focusing on voter turnout.” “We have a chance to change the state and move the kinds of causes we believe in–progressive causes. So that people, no matter who they are, what race, color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation, have a chance to have equal opportunity and fairness. If we win, we will have a chance to make huge steps forward. We will begin by passing the human-rights bill, which I worked on for years while in Springfield.” ________ Blagojevich also has strong ratings from AIDS organizations. He is the only candidate for governor who responded to AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s request for an essay. Following are excerpts. “AIDS is a public health crisis in Illinois, and I am committed to ensuring that the state government plays a leadership role in combating this disease. Illinois has the sixth highest number of cases in the nation, 25,000 of our residents have been diagnosed with AIDS and it has taken the lives of 15,000 of them. We must act in partnership with local and federal entities and community-based organizations in responding to the nation’s HIV/AIDS crisis. “While much progress has been made in the fight against AIDS, much more remains to be done so that we can save lives and prevent the spread of this disease. The state’s current HIV infection rate, approximately 1,500 cases per year, remains unacceptably high. The epidemic disproportionately affects people of color and young adults–populations also affected by other serious health concerns. “Because of remarkable medical advances, which have slowed mortality trends for people with AIDS, more Americans are living with HIV/AIDS than ever before. As a member of Congress, I have worked with leaders… to support full funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA)program, HIV prevention programs funded through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)and the National Institute of Health (NIH)in an effort to respond appropriately to the AIDS pandemic. “As governor, I will continue this fight. The state must pursue an array of HIV prevention, care and surveillance measures, including supporting scientifically rigorous and evidence-based HIV prevention programs in order to stem the spread of HIV, and also increase funding for addiction treatment, harm reduction services and HIV risk-reduction programs for all at-risk populations… “In addition, I will seek increased funding for targeted HIV prevention programs tailored for high-risk populations, with a focus on youth…. I have called for full expansion of the Family Care program to provide health insurance to as many as 300,000 working parents of children enrolled in the Kid Care program–this is estimated to provide insurance to over 1,000 parents with AIDS. And, I will work to find ways to help people with HIV/AIDS in non-urban and rural areas of the state access prevention and care services…. I believe the state should explore the application of a federal waiver to allow the state to expand Medicaid eligibility on a trial basis to a portion of the HIV-positive population.”