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In today’s MinnPost, newly-elected MN12A state representative Jeff Backer tells Briana Bierschbach in How the House GOP conquered rural Minnesota that he didn’t bring up his opposition to Minnesota’s 2013 marriage equality law “at the door.” Rather, voters did.

If that’s the case, doorknocking was the only place Jeff Backer failed to headline the issue–and his opponent’s vote for marriage equality–in his campaign.

Newspaper ads, his website, fundraising appeals, an internal endorsement battle and media coverage all demonstrate that Backer brought this topic up. Moreover, now that Backer’s elected, a local Republican leader is pushing him to make repealing the law a top priority.

Backer’s newspaper ad brings it up

A friend clipped the Citizens for Jeff Backer, Jr. ad from a local newspaper in House District 12A. The only issue in the ad is “traditional marriage.” Backer was bringing the issue in the newspapers that arrived at residents’ doors.

Backer’s website brings it up

If Backer didn’t use marriage equality as an issue when introducing himself “on the doors” in the district, he certainly brought up the issue in the “Meet Jeff” section of his campaign website:

I am a conservative both fiscally and socially. I support life, married between a man and woman and personal freedoms. And as we all know, on supporting traditional marriage, Metro Jay was away – far away – when he voted to legalize same-sex marriage. His vote was a slap in the face to over 64 percent of his constituents – Democratic, Republican and Independent – who voted in overwhelming numbers against same- sec marriage. In Mr. McNamar’s home town of Elbow lake, 64.19 percent of voters supported traditional marriage, a fact seemingly overlooked by McNamar.

McNamar received the endorsement of anti-choice group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, so abortion was not by and large a contrast between the candidates. Instead, Backer stressed his opponent’s marriage vote.

Backer’s website also included a page devoted to “Traditional Marriage.”

Backer’s fundraising brings it up

As Bluestem reported back in September in our post Jeff Backer hates liberal homosexual money, solicits socially conservative campaign cash:

Former Elbow Lake mayor, retired teacher and wrestling coach Jay McNamar (DFL, Elbow Lake) may have the endorsement of the Minnesota Farm Bureau and Farmers Union, as well as years in western Minnesota, but to Jeff Backer, he’s “Metro Jay.”

Not just Metro Jay, but–leaping lesbians!–apparently a metrosexual funded by gay money because he voted to make marriage equality the law of the land.

In a recent fundraising letter, the endorsed Republican candidate for Minnesota House District 12A lamented

. . . . the widespread national network of liberal homosexual activists who have rewarded “metro” Jay McNamar with tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions for his vote for gay “marriage.” In fact, Metro Jay has received over $20,000 in contributions from similar homosexual activists across the country.

Here’s a pdf of the fundraising appeal:

Backer Fundraising Mailing by Sally Jo Sorensen

Backer’s convention speech brings it up

Although he later denied it, then sort of owned it, Backer brought up repealing marriage equality at the Senate District 12 endorsing convention last spring.

Later in the fall, his statement drew fire from College Republican activist Nathan Schmid (pictured right with Congresswoman Bachmann) as Bluestem documented in several posts, including October 19’s Young conservative activist supports McNamar since Backer wants to repeal marriage equality, October 26’s Jeff Backer & Nathan Schmid dispute Republican student’s presence at endorsing convention, and November 2’s MN12A: Backer and College Republican activist continue to exchange words in the Morris Sun.

Backer brings it up to the media

In Republicans Portray Democrats as the Metro Party, Minnesota Public Radio’s Tom Scheck reported:

Backer calls McNamar “Metro Jay” because he claims the first-term Democrat is “voting with the metro crowd, Minneapolis and St. Paul, more than voting with his constituents and what’s important to our area.”

Backer also contends that McNamar’s vote last year to legalize same-sex marriage is out of line with the district, where in 2012 a majority of voters supported a failed constitutional amendment that would have made marriage only between a man and a woman.

Other than all the time, Backer never brought up marriage equality as an issue, and we have no idea why voters mentioned it when he rang their bells.

Photos: A Backer newspaper ad (above); Nathan Schmid (below).