First District congressional candidates Michael Brennan and Chellie Pingree must be disappointed with the Christian Civic League for not denouncing them as it had Democratic primary challenger Ethan Strimling. The league last week sent an alert to its members that received lots of attention because it included in its e-mail address the provocative phrase “HomosforStrimling.” Is the Strimling campaign paying for this kind of advertising?

The league included in its alert a fundraising letter from the Strimling campaign that highlighted his work as a leader against discrimination of gay people. The league concluded the letter demonstrating his “anti-family credentials for the purpose of raising money.” Raising money is exactly what state Sen. Strimling was trying to do, and now that he has the league’s censure, even more money is going to roll into his account from Democratic activists.

The Strimling campaign immediately turned the league warning into a cause for celebration. In a follow-up letter, it noted that now “there’s also another (FUN!) way that you can show your support for Ethan Strimling. Please join us at Ethan’s ‘Coming Out’ party!”

The campaign’s response says plenty about the changing outlook toward sexual orientation and the fact that what was once the love that dared not speak its name has become, for primary-voting Democrats, an issue to run on. In the hall of mirrors that is politics, the league likely gets some added attention from the Strimling reaction to help its cause, too.

But this still leaves the other candidates without sufficient opportunity to throw their own party or fundraiser. Can’t a group cast a little disapproval their way, too?