September 1st, 2016
Candidates in Maine and Wisconsin Are Committed to Strengthening the Separation of Religion and Government
Contact: Ron Millar, 202-238-9088 ext. 201, rmillar@cfequality.org
(Washington, DC, Sept. 1, 2016)—The Freethought Equality Fund Political Action Committee (FEF PAC) proudly announces its endorsement of three incumbent candidates running in state house races. Two of the candidates identify as Unitarian Universalists and one as a Christian, but all of them, if re-elected to office, will uphold FEF PAC’s core issue of maintaining a strict separation between church and state.
“The Freethought Equality Fund appreciates the support of its legislative allies who are committed to strengthening the separation of religion and government at the state level,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the Freethought Equality Fund. “We encourage atheists, humanists and other nonreligious individuals to run for public office, and we also support religious candidates who will shape their policy based on science and reason.”
The Freethought Equality Fund PAC is proud to endorse:
Pinny Beebe-Center, an incumbent running for the Maine State House seat in District 93. She identifies as a Unitarian Universalist and believes that “religion is a personal choice. It should not be imposed on others and clearly should not be the motivation or consideration for policy, regulation or legislation.” Beebe-Center is in her first term of office, winning a special election for the seat just last year. She is a strong advocate for families and youth, working on issues such as child poverty, addiction, mental health and the environment. She will face a Republican opponent in the general election.
Mark Spreitzer, an incumbent running for the Wisconsin State Assembly seat in District 45. Spreitzer is an ally of the secular community. He says his values are “largely secular humanist, even though I belong to a religious community… I believe my values inform both my religion and my public policy decisions, rather than my religion dictating public policy decisions.” He is in his first term of office, during which he has fought to raise the minimum wage, fully fund public schools and relieve the burden of student debt. Spreitzer is openly gay and strongly supports LGBTQ equality. He is running unopposed in the general election.
Ryan Tipping-Spitz, an incumbent running for the Maine State House seat in District 123. He is in his second term of office and was very pleased when he received the FEF questionnaire: “We receive piles of religious-based information once elected from a wide array of groups. Thank you for standing up for reason in a landscape so often devoid of it.” Tipping-Spitz was raised a Unitarian Universalist and says, “Religion does not play a role in determining my stance on issues before us in Augusta. Science and good data guide my policy decisions.” He is currently working on legislation to ensure corporations pay their fair share in taxes, to increase the monitoring of the transportation of hazardous materials and to make college education more affordable. He will face a Republican opponent in the general election.
More information on candidates endorsed by the Freethought Equality Fund can be found here.
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The mission of the Freethought Equality Fund (FEF) is to change the face of American politics and to achieve equality by increasing the number of open humanist and atheists, and their allies, in public office at all levels of government. FEF supports progressive candidates who are strong advocates for the separation of religion and government and the protection of American’s civil liberties. FEF is affiliated with the Center for Freethought Equality, which is the advocacy and political arm of the American Humanist Association. To learn more about the Freethought Equality Fund, visit Facebook and Twitter.
