The Slatest

Make That Seven Senate Democrats Who Don’t Support Gay Marriage

Tom Carper on Tuesday became the latest Senate Democrat to come out in favor of gay marriage

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

And then there were seven: Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware offered his support for same-sex marriage this morning in a post to Facebook:

As our society has changed and evolved, so too has the public’s opinion on gay marriage – and so has mine. I pray every day for God to grant me the wisdom to do what is right. Through my prayers and conversations with my family and countless friends and Delawareans, I’ve been reminded of the power of one of my core values: the Golden Rule. It calls on us to treat others as we want to be treated. That means, to me, that all Americans ultimately should be free to marry the people they love and intend to share their lives with, regardless of their sexual orientation, and that’s why today, after a great deal of soul searching, I’m endorsing marriage equality.

Carper’s announcement comes one day after Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey joined the growing ranks senators who have reversed their stance on the issue. With those two now on board, that leaves only seven of their current Democratic colleagues still on the other side of the fence from the vast majority of their caucus:

  • Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Up for re-election in 2018.
  • Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida. Up for re-election in 2018.
  • Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Up for re-election in 2018.
  • Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana. Up for re-election in 2018.
  • Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Up for re-election in 2014.
  • Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Up for re-election in 2014.
  • Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota. Won’t run for re-election in 2014.

On the other side of the aisle, only Ohio Sen. Rob Portman has come out in favor of gay marriage. Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, meanwhile, suggested last week that she’s still “evolving” on the issue. [Update: Illionois Sen. Mark Kirk on Tuesday became the second GOP senator to support same-sex marriage.]

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