September 29, 2022

(Seattle, WA) – Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate Tiffany Smiley cheered on the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe, thinks it would be “awesome” to have former President Trump’s endorsement, and has “serious questions” about the 2020 election – and as if all that didn’t already put her at odds with the overwhelming majority of Washington state voters, new reporting shows she’s a longtime ally of notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ Franklin and Billy Graham. 

Read more to see why Tiffany Smiley is great for Mitch McConnell, MAGA Republicans and Billy Graham’s anti-LGTBQ+ hate groups–but wrong for Washington state.

LGBTQNation: Leading GOP Senate candidate loves anti-LGBTQ Franklin Graham. Can she win in a blue state? 

  • “Her husband Scott met Edward Graham, the youngest son of Franklin Graham, during their first year at West Point.” Graham is one of the leading anti-LGBTQ voices on the religious right.
  • Franklin Graham touts views that are not popular in Washington state, with hateful actions that include:
  • Calling for ‘regime change’ in the U.S. because trans rights are ‘evil’ and ‘wicked’
  • Complaining that Pope Francis is trying to ‘normalize homosexuality’
  • Citing a Biblical verse calling for death for homosexuality when talking about out Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
  • “When Graham was calling for a boycott of Target for instituting gender-neutral language in its stores, Smiley was right there with him, retweeting his attacks,” including a tweet that reads “I have news for @Target and everyone else, God created two different genders. #OffTarget”
  • Since the LGBTQ Nation publication, Tiffany Smiley has deleted the retweet, but the Smileys’ social media accounts are still “littered with photos of and praise for the Grahams.”
  • “She also counts the anti-LGBTQ hate group Focus on the Family among the ‘media organizations’ to which she has contributed as a speaker.”

Washington state Senator Marko Liias issued the following statement in response to Smiley’s problematic friendship with the Graham family:

“Here in Washington we’ve worked to make our state safe and welcoming for LGBTQ+ folks by passing laws that support our trans and gender-diverse communities. Tiffany Smiley has shown her true colors by echoing and proudly supporting the hateful ideology of extremists like Franklin Graham. Spreading these anti-LGBTQ+ views is dangerous and has no place in Washington state.”

Tacoma School Board member Lisa Keating issued the following statement, slamming Smiley for anti-LGBTQ+ ties:

“We need leaders in Washington state who are committed to ensuring everyone – especially our children – are free of discrimination and are supported. Tiffany Smiley threatens all the progress we’ve made for the LGBTQ+ community; progress that needs to continue to pave the way for the next, more-inclusive generation of Americans.”

It’s clear Smiley agrees with the Graham family’s hateful LGBTQ+ rhetoric – which is wildly out of touch with Washington state. Washington state voters want leaders who will stand up for equality–it’s clear that they won’t be able to count on Tiffany Smiley who will only advance Mitch McConnell’s extreme anti-LGBTQ+ agenda. 

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