And former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a strident social conservative, just seems to want to be asked fewer questions about it.
READ: Supreme Court gay marriage decision could have 2016 repercussions
Their comments — all in media appearances the weekend of a conservative confab in Iowa hosted by Rep. Steve King — made clear that the party won’t be dropping its debate over just how to handle the electorate’s growing acceptance of same-sex marriage anytime soon.
The Supreme Court’s announcement that it will decide this spring whether states can ban same-sex marriage — which, after a spate of lower court decisions in recent months, is now legal in 36 states — has once again fueled debate about an issue that had faded from the focus of many Republicans in recent years.
Now, Republicans have to decide whether — and how — they can strike a balance between a conservative base that still sees marriage as between one man and one woman and a national electorate that is increasingly approving of same-sex marriage. A recent CNN/ORC poll found that 57% of Americans believe gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry.
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Santorum: Long known as an advocate for socially conservative cultural values, Santorum bristled at questions about same-sex marriage in Iowa over the weekend.
“What I think is important is marriage and the family. And I think the most important thing we can do as a party is to restore the importance of marriage, encouraging marriage from an economic point of view as well as a societal point of view,” he said.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Though he’s long said he believes marriage is between one man and one woman, in 2014 Walker stopped fighting a court ruling that allowed same-sex marriage in his state.
“For us, it’s over in Wisconsin,” Walker said then. “The federal courts have ruled that this decision by this court of appeals decision is the law of the land and we will be upholding it.”
