May be too late for Iowa GOP to end gay marriage

Des Moines, Iowa --

Ever since gay couples began flocking to Iowa to marry three years ago, conservative Republicans have been looking forward to amassing enough political power to put an end to it. But now that the opportunity is finally approaching, their goal may be slipping out of reach.

Conservative lawmakers are watching public opinion move away from them on the same-sex marriage issue, and now fear that voters might not approve a ban even if the GOP can put one on the ballot by winning control of the Legislature in November.

The shifting views come as a disappointment for the state's prominent Christian conservative community, which has long bridled at Iowa's status as a gay-rights haven in the heartland - the only place outside the Northeast where gays and lesbians can marry.

'That's a shame'

"People are getting comfortable with it and that's a shame to tell you the truth," said Susan Geddes, an Iowa Republican and social conservative organizer who worked for Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign in the state.

Even Republicans seem to be more accepting, said Julie Summa, marketing director for the Family Leader, a social conservative advocacy group. She and other evangelical leaders attribute the change to libertarian Republicans, like supporters of Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who oppose restrictions on personal freedoms.

The issue is less prominent now in conservative campaigns, they said.

Iowa became the third of six states to legalize same-sex marriage after the state Supreme Court struck down the state ban in 2009. Since then, about 4,500 same-sex couples have wed in the state.

Republicans need to win two more seats in the state Senate this year to get full control of the Statehouse.

Would take 2 years

But the legislative process would take at least two years, while public interest in the cause is declining. A Des Moines Register poll in February showed 56 percent of Iowans opposed an amendment banning same-sex marriage, up slightly from a year earlier. The results tracked with national opinion on the issue.

Geddes, who is managing a handful of GOP statehouse campaigns, said internal polls in conservative Iowa districts show that less than 10 percent of Republican voters now consider overturning same-sex marriage a high priority.

The atmosphere is much changed from 2010, when conservative advocacy groups mounted a major media campaign against same-sex marriage and won removal of three state supreme court justices who had voted to strike down the ban.

Source: http://feeds.sfgate.com/click.phdo?i=15c1c58abee4602603f60517e6b74749

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