Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told reporters Saturday night although he doesn’t support same-sex marriage he attended a wedding reception for a gay relative.
“Even though my position on marriage is still that its defined as between a man and a woman, and I support the constitution of the state but for someone I love, we’ve been to a reception,” he said at the end of the GOP Summit in New Hampshire.
Walker was asked if he would attend a same-sex wedding after finishing his remarks at a dinner in Nashua, New Hampshire — a key primary state in the upcoming presidential election.
Walker responded by saying it is a “personal issue” and cited the fact that the reception he went to was for a family member.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, told CBS’ Bob Schieffer on Sunday’s “Face the Nation” that he does not think being gay is a choice, and that states should have the leeway in deciding the legality of same-sex marriage.
“I also don’t believe that your sexual preferences are a choice for the vast and enormous majority of people,” he said. “In fact, the bottom line is that I believe that sexual preference is something that people are born with.”
The first-term senator added that he doesn’t believe same-sex marriage is a constitutional right.
“I believe the definition of the institution of marriage should be between one man and one woman,” Rubio said. “States have always regulated marriage and if a state wants to have a different definition, you should petition the state legislature and have a political debate. I don’t think courts should be making that decision.”
And Ohio Gov. John Kasich, another Republican looking at a White House bid, told CNN he and his wife have plans to attend a same-sex wedding.
“I went home and I said to my wife, ‘My friend’s getting married. What do you think? You wanna go?’ She goes, ‘Oh, I’m absolutely going,’ Kasich, who opposes same-sex marriages, said. “My friend knows how I feel about the issue, but I’m not here to have a war with him. I care about my friend, and so it’s pretty simple for me.”
Same-sex marriage will likely be an issue in the 2016 campaign, with many in the Democratic field arguing there’s a constitutional right to marriage for gay couples, and the GOP position ranging for direct opposition to arguing the right should be determined by individual states. And the Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on a case that would affect the right of same-sex couples to marry, likely furthering the political rhetoric on the topic no matter which way the case falls.
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, recently shifted her position on the topic, catching her stance up with the majority of her party.
“Hillary Clinton supports marriage equality and hopes the Supreme Court will come down on the side of same-sex couples being guaranteed that constitutional right,” said Adrienne Elrod, a Clinton spokeswoman, in a statement last week.
As a candidate in 2008, Clinton opposed same-sex marriage, supporting the idea of civil unions instead. She did not offer support for same-sex marriage until 2013, after she left her diplomatic position as secretary of state.
