DES MOINES, Iowa — Many topics animated GOP officials, activists and operatives that gathered at Saturday’s Iowa Freedom Summit, which marked the unofficial start of the 2016 presidential primary.
But an issue that once faced vehement opposition within the party — gay marriage — remained conspicuously absent from the lips of many speakers who took the stage, demonstrating how dramatically politics around the issue has shifted in just a few years.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) denounced the president’s executive actions on immigration and the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional overreach. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich excoriated the State Department for failing to curb global terror. And Iowa’s newest Republican senator, Joni Ernst, urged Washington to balance the budget, cut spending and lower taxes, all proposals that resonated with the audience. Yet most speakers steered away from social issues near and dear to many Iowa evangelicals.
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Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a hard-line opponent of gay marriage who is also considering a run for president, may best reflect where the party currently stands on the matter. Addressing the press following a speech that largely focused on blue-collar workers, Santorum complained he was being unfairly pestered about an issue he previously warned would be “suicidal” for the party to embrace.
“I’m wondering if every other candidate gets this question as much as I do,” he said.
