Again and again gay marriage has proven to be a tough issue for 2016 Republican candidates to navigate. Top-tier declared and would-be candidates like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) have tripped up over addressing questions on attending same-sex weddings and associating with people who support gay marriage or gay rights.
That’s only been exacerbated by fights over controversial anti-gay religious freedom bills in a trio of states that have pushed these candidates to either embrace those bills and alienate major companies that could be helpful fundraising sources or infuriate key conservative constituencies that oppose gay rights.
Behold the five biggest trip-ups so far:
Scott Walker
Walker was asked by MSNBC if he would attend a reception for a same-sex couple. In response, Walker said he hasn’t attended a same-sex wedding but that he and his wife Tonette had attended a wedding reception for a gay couple.
“That’s certainly a personal issue. For a family member, Tonette and I and our family have already had a family member who’s had a reception. I haven’t been at a wedding,” Walker told MSNBC. “That’s true even though my position on marriage is still that it’s defined between a man and a woman, and I support the constitution of the state. But for someone I love, we’ve been at a reception.”
Walker, according to The New York Times, was “away on business when the wedding occurred, but later attended a reception” for the couple. Walker’s son, the Times noted, managed to make it to the wedding.
Marco Rubio
Rubio, who has often been styled as one of the more millennial-friendly declared 2016 Republican presidential candidates because of his affinity for hip hop music, remains a foe of same-sex marriage but said he would attend a wedding.
“If it’s somebody in my life that I care for, of course I would,” Rubio said in response to a question about whether he would go to a gay wedding. But Rubio said he’d disagree with the actual marriage the whole time.
“I’m not going to hurt them simply because I disagree with a choice they’ve made or because I disagree with a decision they’ve made or whatever it may be,” Rubio told Jorge Ramos. “Ultimately, if someone that you care for and is part of your family has decided to move in one direction or another or feels that way because of who they love, you respect that because you love them.”
Ted Cruz
Cruz made a big splash earlier in April when he was hosted for a small dinner by a pair of high profile New York gay hoteliers. At that dinner Cruz softened his rhetoric and said he would love his daughter just as much if she were gay, despite having previously said he considers marriage to be only between a man and a woman. He also reportedly said strongly opposed same sex marriage based on his religion. Cruz had previously said a “jihad” had been waged against “people of faith” who supported religious liberty bills in Arkansas and Indiana.
After the dinner, the gay community lashed out against the hoteliers who first stressed they did not share Cruz’s opposition to gay marriage. Later one of the hoteliers apologized. Cruz has continued to say he opposes gay marriage.
Jeb Bush
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) said he would attend a same-sex wedding even though he considers marriage to be between a man and a woman.
“I haven’t —that’s not to say I wouldn’t,” Bush told a group of reporters in Puerto Rico on Tuesday in response to a question about if he would attend a same-sex wedding. He added in Spanish “claro que sí” that he would attend a wedding if invited.
But Bush, in February, said he supports “traditional marriage” between a man and a woman. Bush’s position on gay marriage has actually gotten murky at times. In January Bush said Floridians needed to “respect the rule of law” in response to news that the state would let gay couples marry. According to a trove of emails from his time as governor released in 2014, Bush was asked by a gay Floridian who wanted to work with him if his sexuality would be an issue.
“On the other stuff, don’t ask, don’t tell is fine with me,” Bush said. “What you do in your private life is your business. If it crosses over into public policy realm, then that is another matter. If you are comfortable with that, then we can proceed.”
Rick Santorum
Santorum, a fierce culture warrior, is sticking to his guns that he wouldn’t attend a same-sex wedding, but even Santorum feels the need to acknowledge he would love and support the gay couple.
“I would not,” Santorum said, confirming, yet again, his opposition to gay marriage. “As a person of my faith, that would be something that would be a violation of my faith. I would love them and support them, uh, but I would not participate in that ceremony,” Santorum told Hugh Hewitt.
Santorum’s comments earned him the lampooning of President Barack Obama at the most recent White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
“Rick Santorum announced that he would not attend a gay or lesbian wedding of one of his friends or loved ones, to which gay people responded, ‘That’s not going to be a problem,’” Obama said at the dinner, sparking laughter.
