Opponents of gay marriage say their base has been energized by New York's decision to legalize the institution.
New York will begin issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples on July 25 after four Republican senators joined all but one Democrat, Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. of the Bronx, last month in voting in favor of a gay marriage bill heavily lobbied for by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Initial reaction to Cuomo's announcement that he would back a plan to make the Empire State the sixth – and most populous – state to legalize gay marriage ranged from amusement to cautious optimism. After all, a Democrat-led Senate had fallen 8 votes shy of approving a similar measure just 19 months earlier. Now Republicans were in control, and the GOP caucus appeared united in its opposition. Moreover, lawmakers in Rhode Island and Maryland had reversed course on marriage equality after loud protests from opponents.
Sense of momentum doesn't necessarily translate into votes in Annapolis. A massive lobbying effort got a same-sex marriage bill through the state Senate this year, but the measure encountered unexpected difficulties in the House of Delegates, and the fact that lawmakers embraced the issue in a state capitol 300 miles away doesn't change that. Still, the path to success in New York does offer several lessons for Marylanders as they prepare to push for gay marriage again next year.
Gov. Martin O'Malley is getting a lot of taunting these days about how Governor Cuomo has suddenly vaulted to the top of the list of Democratic presidential contenders in 2016. Mr. Cuomo took ownership of the gay marriage bill and personally rounded up the votes to make it happen. In the wake of New York's vote, the Maryland governor sounded a little defensive about his stance on the issue, pointing out that he worked behind the scenes in the waning days of the effort to round up votes in the House of Delegates and saying he thought a more public effort "would have kicked it into the gutter of partisan division.
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