SEn Landrieu and Pryor Wont Support Gay Marriage Out of Fear of Their Election
There's been a lot of focus on the Democratic senators who have switched their positions and say they are now supporting gay marriage. What about the ones who haven't - particularly Sens. Mark Pryor and Mary Landrieu?
Pryor of Arkansas and Landrieu of Louisiana are two of the most vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in 2014. They hail from red states that didn't vote for President Obama last year, and both have been quick to assert their independence from the White House.
Landrieu said in TV interviews last week that her personal views - like those of Democratic Sens. Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mark Warner of Virginia - have "evolved" on the subject. "But my state has a very strong constitutional amendment against gay marriage and I think I have to honor that," Landrieu said CNN.
Pryor didn't sound like he was about to change his stance in aninterview with KFSM, the CBS affiliate for Fort Smith, Bentonville and Bentonville. "I am opposed to gay marriage," he told the TV station via e-mail. The senator said he has talked to gay and lesbian friends, who have stressed that their sexual orientation is not a choice.
Pryor also told KFSM that he is undecided on the topic of benefits to gay couples and said he would revisit the issue after the Supreme Court rules in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) case.
The Supreme Court heard arguments in late March challenging DOMA, and justices were skeptical that the law was constitutional because it denies benefits to same-sex couples. So timing is crucial here: It's one thing to come out and say you're for gay marriage before the court rules, which is expected sometime this summer.
There's also the question of electoral politics. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., who announced his support for marriage equality on Monday, has decided to retire and won't be facing voters again. Hagan, one of the Democrats to support gay marriage, is up for re-election in 2014 in a swing state that Obama lost in 2012 but won in 2008. What's more, North Carolina voters overwhelmingly approved a ban on gay marriage last year.
The last holdout on gay marriage is Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. In astatement to Talking Points Memo last week, Manchin indicated he is unlikely to change his views. He said he believes marriage is "a union between one man and one woman" and that he also supports the Defense of Marriage Act.
Comments