GOP’s Burr supports Senate’s potential 1st openly gay Republican

North Carolina’s Richard Burr apparently has a pick in a crowded Republican Senate primary race in Maryland, where 14 candidates are vying for retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s open seat.

Burr had plans to host a campaign event at a Washington, D.C., law firm this week for Chrys Kefalas, an openly gay attorney and former speechwriter in the Obama administration, but the fundraiser was canceled, Kefalas’ campaign said, without explaining why.

A spokesman for Burr’s campaign also would not provide details about the event or Burr’s support for Kefalas. In response to written questions from McClatchy, Burr spokesman Alex Johnson said by email only that “Senator Burr is happy to help Republicans win in November so they can work to get our country back on track.” He didn’t mention Kefalas by name.

If elected, Kefalas would be the first openly gay Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate. He faces 13 opponents in Maryland’s GOP primary Tuesday.

The 36-year-old Kefalas supports federal civil rights protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and has said he would support decriminalizing marijuana use – both issues so far not embraced by leading Republicans in Congress, including Burr.

Burr has not signaled publicly that he would vote for an amendment to federal civil rights law to include gays or transgender people.

In the past, he’s voted for equal federal rights for married gay couples receiving Social Security and veteran’s benefits, but he’s also supported a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Burr voted against legislation that would grant workplace discrimination protections to LGBT employees.

In campaigning for the seat Mikulski will leave open at the end of her term, Kefalas has not been shy in criticizing GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. In December, Kefalas posted on Twitter in response to Trump’s call for a total ban on Muslims entering the U.S., “If (Trump) wins the GOP nomination, my new slogan will have to be: ‘I'm with stupid.’ ”

When asked by email about their policy differences and why Burr wanted to host an event for Kefalas, Burr’s campaign spokesman Johnson did not offer a reply.

It’s unclear why the Tuesday night event was canceled. Tickets to the event were priced at $250 a person. A “co-host level” contribution was priced at $500, according to an email Kefalas’ campaign sent recently.

Kefalas’ campaign did not return an email and phone call from McClatchy on Wednesday, and the law firm where the event was scheduled to take place did not respond to an email asking why it was canceled. The event had been scheduled for 6 p.m. at the D.C. offices of Clark Hill, a law firm with locations nationwide.

Kefalas is an attorney and most recently worked for the National Association of Manufacturers. Previously, he worked as a deputy legal counsel for former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich, a Republican, and as a speechwriter in the Obama administration for U.S. Attorney Eric Holder. He is engaged to D.C.-based entertainment radio host Tommy McFly.

He’s been endorsed by Log Cabin Republicans, the largest GOP-affiliated group focused on LGBT political issues.

Maryland’s primary will be held April 26.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 6:25 PM with the headline "GOP’s Burr supports Senate’s potential 1st openly gay Republican."