Last week the major dailies in Boston–the Globe and the Herald–endorsed Richard Tisei, an openly gay Republican running to represent Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House.  Today brings news that four more local papers have given Tisei their backing, saying he’ll bring an independence sorely needed in Washington.

“The time has come for voters to back candidates who have the desire to put people before party, the talent to bring a fresh approach to seemingly intractable problems and a willingness to work in concert to move the country forward,” said the editorial board of The Salem News.

“Tisei is a member in good standing of the Bill Weld wing of the Republican Party who believes, as he put it, ‘that government should be off your back, out of your wallet and away from the bedroom.’ That works for us,” the Boston Herald editorial said.

Tisei is one of 8 openly gay, lesbian and bisexual federal candidates endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund this year.  He would be the only out Republican in Congress, and the first out GOP candidate to win a seat in the House as a non-incumbent.

Richard Tisei, an openly gay, pro-choice Republican running for Congress in Massachusetts, has written to state party officials to ask them not to adopt the national party’s platform, particularly as it pertains to social issues, according to a report in the Boston Globe:

Tisei, a moderate who is openly gay, said the national platform “espouses beliefs that exclude many in our party, includ­ing myself.”

“As a ‘live-and-let-live’ ­Republican, my philosophy is that the government should get off our backs, out of our wallets, and away from the bedroom,” he wrote in a letter to state GOP chairman Robert A. Maginn Jr.

Tisei would be the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress as a freshman.  Other openly gay Republicans who have served on Capitol Hill came out after being elected, and none have served in Congress since 2006.

The former state senator and GOP nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010 is endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

UPDATE–10:32 pm:  The Massachusetts Republican Party tonight voted not to adopt the national GOP platform after objections from moderates and input from federal candidates Sen. Scott Brown and Richard Tisei, who is seeking a House seat.  The party could revisit the issue after the elections this November.

Richard Tisei, an openly gay Republican candidate for Congress in Massachusetts, now has an even shot at beating his opponent,  incumbent Democratic Rep. John Tierney, according to a new rating of the race by the paper Roll Call.  The paper recently reclassified the race from “Likely Democratic” to “Toss-up” in its ratings of House races around the country.

“Richard is well-known and liked throughout the district.  [He's] spent years defying the odds by being elected by Independents, Republicans, and Democrats. He’s honest and a known problem-solver who cares about people and the future of the country,”  said Tisei Campaign Manager Paul Moore.

Tisei has also consistently beaten Tierney in fundraising over the past few quarters, a sign that the GOP thinks the seat could flip.  ”In my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have imagined that so many people would be supporting our message of change with their pocketbooks — particularly in these very tough economic times,” Tisei told the Washington Blade.

Tisei is one of 8 federal candidates endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund in 2012.

Yesterday Mark Takano came out strong in his primary race and will face Republican John Tavaglione in November to represent California’s 41st Congressional District. Takano would become the first openly LGBT person of color elected to Congress.

“We’re proud of Mark’s win in last night’s primary,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. “His victory in November will help us achieve the largest Congressional LGBT Caucus in history and ensure LGBT Americans are heard on Capitol Hill.”

Takano’s primary is the first of eight LGBT candidates for Congress endorsed by the Victory Fund.

There are currently four openly LGBT members of Congress, including Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.). Last fall, Frank announced he would not seek reelection and Baldwin launched a bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

In addition to Takano, the out non-incumbent candidates for the U.S. House endorsed by Victory are:

• Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), who would become New York’s first openly gay Member of Congress.
• Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), who is vying for the seat currently represented by Congresswomen Tammy Baldwin.
• Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who would become the first-ever openly bisexual member of Congress.
• Richard Tisei (R-Mass.), who would become the only out Republican in Congress.

The past 10 years have proven to be tough on LGBT Republicans across the country.  The GOP’s rightward tilt in the past decade led many pro-LGBT Republicans to retire from office, lose reelection contests, or back away from their previous support of the LGBT community.

The party has also seen a drop in the ranks of those out Republicans holding elective office.  But in Massachusetts, LGBT Republicans have an embarrassment of riches in this year’s contest for governor.

The GOP ticket is led by Charlie Baker, a fiscal conservative who supports marriage equality, and State Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, an openly gay candidate for lieutenant governor.  Not only is the GOP ticket in Massachusetts the most LGBT-friendly the Republican Party has ever fielded, but in this liberal bastion they’ve provided the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) with a real pick-up opportunity.

All summer the Baker-Tisei team has been lagging behind Governor Deval Patrick in the polls.  Even though Patrick has suffered some fairly high unfavorable ratings, he’s been helped by the campaign of a third-party candidate, Tim Cahill, who’s been splitting the anti-incumbent vote with Baker.

But the Baker-Tisei campaign received a big boost today when they secured the endorsement of Tim Cahill’s running mate, former State Representative Paul Loscocco.   Loscocco, in leaving the Cahill ticket said, “I cannot sit idly by as my friends and supporters cast their votes for my ticket, knowing that the best chance to defeat Governor Patrick is with Charlie Baker.”

In polling performed by Public Opinion Strategies for the Baker-Tisei campaign, results show the GOP ticket taking a one-point lead over Patrick.  With Loscocco’s endorsement, the Baker-Tisei team hopes to see a shift of anti-incumbent voters to their campaign.

These developments mean Tisei, who is endorsed by the Victory Fund, could become the first openly gay lieutenant governor in U.S. history.

Note:  Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, who is openly bisexual, is her state’s second-highest ranking elected official behind the governor.  Oregon does not elect a state officer with the title of lieutenant governor.