8 months ago
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A leader in the campaign to block gay marriages says he plans to run next year for a Sacramento-area seat in the state Assembly. Andrew Pugno has filed with the secretary of state to replace Republican Assemblymember Roger Niello, who is termed out of office next year. The Folsom attorney drafted the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban approved by voters in November. The 36-year-old Republican wants to represent the mostly suburban district in Sacramento and Placer counties. "I think it's quite possible that I could be targeted by some of those more radical elements," Pugno said. "We saw in the last year a lot of people being harassed and intimidated just for standing up for traditional marriage. I have not been immune to that. I've been the target of that sort of thing." He said Friday he is running on a platform of revitalizing businesses that he says are overtaxed. Republican Craig De Luz and Democrats Jared Gaynor and Lawrence Miles Jr. have also filed preliminary papers seeking the seat.
