Lawmakers, particularly on the Republican side, are finding it hard to square their principles with their politics when it comes to same-sex marriage.
As the Supreme Court takes up a pair of high-profile cases regarding same-sex marriage, Republicans might be eager for the justices to steal the headlines. Politically, the issue has become Exhibit “A” of the internal civil war the party is fighting over social issues.
While same-sex marriage runs counter to the official GOP party platform, more and more members of the party say it may be time to rethink where they stand. A big part of the American public, including large numbers of minorities, conservatives and Catholics, has shifted dramatically over the last decade in favor of the issue. The majority of the public overall now backs same-sex marriage for the first time.
“We’re in the midst of one of the most profound public opinion shifts in modern political history right now,” Republican pollster Alex Lundry said on The Daily Rundown’s Deep Dive Monday.
In fact, Democratic pollster Joel Benenson said favoring same-sex marriage is rapidly becoming a prerequisite for any serious presidential candidate–of either party.
“I think this is a position that anyone running for public office is going to have to have,” says Joel Benenson, president of the Benenson Strategy Group. “This is where America is.”
