GOP Strategist Urges Republicans to Support Same-Sex Marriage Bill
newsweek.comRepublicans. The majority of Republicans in the chamber—157—voted against the legislation, while seven Republicans declined to vote.The bill was introduced after the U.S.
Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that granted women the right to an abortion, over concerns that the Court could also reverse same-sex marriage protections.Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, and Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, are currently working to get the 10 Republican votes that are needed in the Senate to pass the legislation.In his interview, Feehery added that he believes there are "more than 10" Republican senators in favor of the legislation, "but...many of these members don't necessarily want to be the 10th.""So they're kind of waiting to see, and they're negotiating potential amendments to see if they have some wiggle room.
But I think there are people—at least 10 Republicans who want to vote for this in the Senate," he said.Feehery was then asked about a Gallup poll conducted last year that found that 55 percent of registered Republicans support gay marriage."Do you think that Republicans are taking that into account?" the NPR journalist asked."I think that they are, and I think that's why they're having such a hard time.
There's a vocal minority amongst the Republican base that doesn't want this to happen. But I do think that ultimately, you don't want to take away the ability for people to get married once you gave them that ability," Feehery said. "And I think the politics, as you pointed out, are pretty good.
