Although support for same-sex marriage has risen from 39 percent in 2001 to 55 percent in 2015, GOP candidates are still running their homophobic credentials to court evangelical voters. Republicans face an aging base at the polls that lags behind the country in same-sex marriage acceptance at 32 percent. Religious belief also plays a role in shaping the political landscape for GOP candidates.
The top GOP presidential candidates beliefs on the matter reflect the majority of their electorate on the right to determine if other people can marry the person they love if they happen to be the same sex.
Here are the 3 top GOP contenders stated beliefs on the matter:
Marco Rubio
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While campaigning in New Hampshire on February 8, 2016, Marco Rubio was confronted by a New Hampshire man over his position on gay rights. “Why do you want to put me back in the closet?” the voter, who is married to another man, asked. Rubio responded, “I don’t. You can live any way you want. I just believe marriage is between one man and one woman.” The voter then suggested Rubio did not believe gay people mattered. “No, I just believe marriage is between one man and one woman. I think that’s what the law should be. And if you disagree you should have the law changed by a legislature,” Rubio said in reply.[23]
Donald Trump
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In a June 28, 2015, interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Donald Trump was asked by anchor Jake Tapper how Trump’s three marriages fit into the definition of “traditional marriage.” Trump responded that someone asking the question has “a very good point” and suggested he was at fault for his divorces. Tapper said he wasn’t asking for an explanation for Trump’s divorces, but rather what he would say to a gay person on this question. Trump answered, “I don’t say anything. I’m just for traditional marriage.”[27]
Ted Cruz
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At the “Rally for Religious Liberty” at Bob Jones University on November 14, 2015, Cruz said the issue of same-sex marriage was “not settled” legally. He said, “It’s not the law of the land. It’s not the Constitution. It’s not legitimate, and we will stand and fight.” Under the Tenth Amendment, Cruz believes the definition of marriage should instead be “left to the states and left to the people.”[16]
Contrary to what Ted Cruz thinks the matter was settled by the Supreme Court that determines the law of the land. Even though I understand the political reality of the current GOP that represents a large slice of hateful, homophobic voters, I am still taken aback as to why same-sex marriage opposition is a national plank of the Republican Party. Who are the people that put so much political effort and resources into hating their neighbors and opposing the freedom to love who you choose to?
Aron and I early voted because we are heading out of the country this weekend. And there they were at the polls passing out literature with campaign promises to oppose same-sex marriage. They asked us to help support “traditional marriage”.
Aron is baffled in that picture. How can other people getting married affect anyone else?
Yet here is a candidate running for Justice of the Peace promising to use his position of authority to defend “traditional marriage” from same-sex couples who just want to marry the person they love. All to appeal to a homophobic voter that will forego more pressing government responsibilities like the tens of thousands of structurally unsafe bridges in this country. Last year, the GOP voted down a badly needed infrastructure bill proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D). All so they can be assured same-sex couples can’t get married.
Apparently hate is a great vote getter over doing actual things to govern the country. Although love seems like a laudable goal to fight for the GOP has campaigned for hate so convincingly that the Southern Poverty Law Center could declare them a hate group.
