A 9th District Republican Congressional hopeful is vying for LGBT support this election, but her platform is unlikely to win her many votes in the gay community.
Susanne Atanus, who is challenging gay-friendly Rep. Jan Shakowsky, told Windy City Times that she believes gay marriage and abortion are to blame for Chicago's streak of cold weather.
"Everybody knows that God controls weather," Atanus said.
Atanus said that the snap of cold weather to the Chicago area as well as the string of tornadoes and other adverse weather is God's response to the passage of same-sex marriage in Illinois. She also adds that she believes autism and illness are a response to abortion and same-sex marriage.
"God is super angry," she said.
"Gay marriage is not appropriate, and it doesn't look right, and it breeds AIDS," Atanus added later.
Atanus, who reached out to Windy City Times, said that she wants LGBT support. She backs medical partner benefits for same-sex couples, she said. But her major platform is one that focuses on economic prosperity for all people, she added.
In a statement to Windy City Times, Atanus said she "will fix the economy with Common Sense Economics for Prosperity for All with daily positive returns on stocks so the l% will not get richer and richer. With more income, we will purchase more goods and services and this will create more jobs-the Greatest Economic Stimulus!"
Atanus also said she does not believe in the separation of church and state.
"I believe that maybe there should be an amendment to get that out of the Constitution because God will never go away," Atanus said.
According to the Huffington Post, Republican leaders have tried to distance themselves from Atanus. Adam Robinson, chairman of the Chicago Republican Party, said in a statement to the Huffington post that she "is not in any way affiliated with any of our efforts in the Chicago GOP, nor have we ever supported, endorsed, or assisted her in any way at any time."
Atanus said that she does have some Republican support. While her views might be controversial, she said, she thinks she will win on her economic platform. She said she contacted Chicago's LGBT newspaper because she wants the community to receive her message.
"You can tell the community that I called to reach out to them, that I need them, and they need me," Atanus said.
