Tug of War in The GOP Who is carrying The Self Destruct Button?

By NEIL KING JR.

From Alaska to North Carolina, a significant number of prominent political figures in recent weeks have announced an about-face in support of same-sex marriage.

Only one was a Republican. 

But more is going on behind the scenes in the Republican Party, where a movement is building to change GOP politicians' views on the issue. It's an effort that is meeting resistance among some conservative leaders as well as the party's core voters.

For now, there remains a marked disparity between the Democratic and Republican parties in embracing gay marriage—a trend that worries some GOP strategists and party leaders as they watch the rapid rise in public acceptance.

"On no issue in American life have attitudes changed so breathtakingly fast as on 

gay rights," said Whit Ayres, a veteran Republican pollster. "We have to be careful we aren't left behind."

During a week when the Supreme Court held two days of arguments on the rights of gay and lesbian couples to wed, five Democratic senators—four of them from predominately Republican states—announced they were shifting to support same-sex marriage. 

See how current members of congress who were in office in 1996 voted on the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, and their current positions on same-sex marriage.

Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portmanmade his own high-profile move in that direction earlier this month, becoming the only Senate Republican to embrace the practice.

He still stands out as an exception, however. Of the 36 still-active Democrats in Congress who voted for the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which recognizes only heterosexual marriages, all but nine have since changed to support gay marriage. Just two of the 51 Republican backers of the bill who are still in Congress have had a similar turnabout.

Recent polling helps explain the gap. Overall support for same-sex marriage has surged above 50%, with far higher levels of backing among the young, moderates, women and college-educated Americans. But a December Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that just 27% of Republicans said they approved of it.

And of the 38 states that have banned same-sex marriage in one way or another, 24 were carried by Republican nominee Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential contest.

Now, though, efforts to shift the balance within the GOP have begun. In February, former party Chairman Ken Mehlman gathered more than 130 signatures from top Republicans in support of overturning California's gay-marriage ban, which went before the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Mr. Mehlman also backs a group called Project Right Side, which is gathering data on shifting opinions on gay rights and working to educate Republican lawmakers on the issue. 

WSJ reporters discuss the week's two historic Supreme Court cases that will impact same-sex marriage, analyze how the U.S. is dealing with Syria and North Korea and what hope, if any, exists in Washington for a budget deal.

The group has key allies in states such as Iowa, where an organization called Iowa Republicans for Freedom is trying to garner enough support to show that a pro-gay marriage GOP presidential candidate could win there in 2016.

One sign of the party's evolution came Thursday night, when 2012 presidential candidate and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said in a speech at the Reagan Library that all Republicans should demand marriage equality as a stance "consistent with the Republican Party's origins."

Meanwhile, Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski told a state newspaper this week that her views on gay marriage are "evolving" and that she is reviewing her position "very closely."

Last spring, GOP pollster Jan van Lohuizen sent a memo to fellow Republicans involved in the presidential campaign noting that support for same-sex marriage was growing "at an accelerated rate with no sign of slowing down.” 

Could the Supreme Court duck on ruling on gay marriage? WSJ Supreme Court Correspondent Jess Bravin discusses the complicated issues justices are facing on California's Prop 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act, amid growing support for same-sex marriage.

He recommended the party modulate its views by toning down its overt opposition to gay marriage while emphasizing themes of fairness and freedom from government interference.

Mr. van Lohuizen said he is well aware of how sensitive the topic remains in conservative circles. "If Republicans dig in too deep on this, we are going to limit the growth of the party," he said. "But if candidates move too quickly, they will have problems with the party's base and could face difficulties in primaries."

For now, several potential 2016 presidential candidates on the GOP side are adopting what could become a familiar straddle, saying they believe marriage is between a man and a woman, but that the whole fight should be left to the states.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky made that case on "Fox News Sunday," saying he was fine if the federal government "tries to be neutral on the issue."

Write to Neil King Jr. at neil.king@wsj.com