E-Mail This Article to a Friend TALKING POLITICS Hell to pay BY ADAM REILLY

Get used to the aggressive lobbying that accompanied the gay-marriage debate at this year’s constitutional convention, because it’s going to be a staple of state politics this year and beyond. At least five new PACs will be targeting pro- and anti-gay candidates in the months ahead — and once gay marriages begin on May 17, and the legislative races heat up, that number’s likely to increase. Here are a few groups to watch.

Heritage Alliance. Founded in late February by the Reverend Michael Carl, the Heritage Alliance is currently targeting 12 legislators who support gay marriage. Carl, who has also filed a petition with the Attorney General’s Office for a constitutional amendment banning both gay marriage and civil unions, is pastor of the Greenwood Union Church, in Wakefield. Thus far, his group has targeted only Democrats — State Representatives Stephen Kulik of Worthington, Benjamin Swan of Springfield, Robert Spellane of Worcester, Patricia Haddad of Somerset, Charles Murphy of Burlington, David Linsky of Natick, Stephen Buoniconti of West Springfield, Peter Kocot of Northampton, Karen Spilka of Ashland (who may be the Democratic nominee for the seat vacated by retiring state senator David Magnani), and Senators Susan Fargo of Lincoln, Linda Melconian of Springfield, and Robert O’Leary of Barnstable. Carl refused to say how much money the Heritage Alliance had raised since its founding. He also declined to say whether he was working with the Massachusetts Republican Party or Governor Mitt Romney. "I’m not sure I really want to go into how all of this came about or with whom I’ve spoken," Carl said. "I’m not going to fry my efforts before I get started by divulging the people I’m working with."

Coalition for Marriage. The anti-gay-marriage group is considering establishing a PAC to target pro-gay legislators, according to spokesman Ray McNulty. "It’s clear, as we’ve said in recent weeks, that legislators will be held accountable for their actions and for their votes," McNulty says. "One of the mantras that was heard, frankly on both sides, was, ‘We’ll remember in November.’ But we’ll discuss specific actions that may be taken at a later date."

Vote Your Conscience. In early February, the Boston Globe reported that this group would match Republican contributions in districts where Democratic incumbents were targeted for pro-gay-marriage positions. It’s unclear how much money the PAC has raised thus far, however, and how its fundraising will be conducted. It has yet to file papers with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, and Woody Kaplan, a representative of the group, did not return calls for comment.

Freedom To Marry Coalition of Massachusetts. The pro-gay-marriage group filed papers for its new PAC on February 20, a week before Carl established his group — and according to advocacy director Josh Friedes, the Freedom To Marry PAC plans to do more than defend pro-gay legislators. "One of the things we see is that there are opponents of civil rights for gays and lesbians who have been in office for a long time, and their districts have changed dramatically — they’ve become far more liberal," Friedes says. "And where there are large numbers of gay and lesbian families, they’re supported by their communities. So we’ll be looking at incumbents in those situations." That said, Friedes refused to identify which districts he was talking about.

Massachusetts Gay Pennies 4 Politics. Founded by a Jamaica Plain couple — Mary Pierce and Jennifer Lewis — this PAC seeks both to support pro-gay candidates and to take on anti-gay incumbents. "Gay people have to vote as a bloc — it’s really important for us to stretch our political muscle right now," Pierce says. "Obviously, some legislators are more vulnerable than others; we’re going to wait to see who has a challenger, who’s going to be in tight races, who the legislators are who really stuck their necks out for us.... Ultimately, of course, the goal is equal rights."