The 47 House Republicans who supported marriage equality aren’t a sign the party is changing

A LGBT+ flag being waved during a celebration in front of the United States Supreme Court upon the announcement of the Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

One of the unexpected bits of news last week was the surprisingly large number of Republican representatives who voted in favor of the Congressional Respect for Marriage Act, which would protect the right to marry for same-sex couples. While 157 Republicans voted against the bill, 47 Republicans supported it, a far larger number than anyone anticipated.

Even though the overall GOP vote was 2-1 against the bill, the media seized on the minority vote as a sign of a sea change in the party. “GOP support for same-sex marriage bill reflects a shift among Republican voters,” NBC news declared. And it is true that even a majority of Republican voters now say that they support marriage equality, although at a far lower rate than the general American population.

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Unlike in the past, the GOP leadership did not press its members to vote a specific way on the measure. They left the vote up to the individual member, which was a signal that…

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