So, how’s the GOP’s Bold New Thinking on Gay Marriage playing outside D.C.? Not well. The Iowa GOP, which will play host to Rand Paul in May, is currently run by a 32-year-old man named A.J. Spiker. He got into high-level GOP politics via his work in the Paul movement. And he doesn’t sound like Rand when it comes to gay marriage. In an interview with radio host Steve Deace, Spiker agreed that a fading Republican focus on marriage and immigration would hurt the party. “We’re already at a point now where people are saying, I’m done voting for these people,” said Deace.
After the interview, Spiker sent this email to fellow Republicans:
While inclusion is important, elected Republicans (we all know the most recent example) and National/State Party leaders who embrace so-called same sex marriage are doing grave harm to our Party and the whole of society. Lets not forget, so-called same sex marriage is an irreconcilable difference with the Republican Party’s largest constituency… Committed Christians.
So on the eternal question—“Can the party shift left on some issues wthout alienating base voters?”—put Spiker in the “no” camp.
