Sep 15, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Same-sex marriage vote pushed until after election

Andrew Solender

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, wearing a blue jacket, speaks to reporters in the Capitol basement. — Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images.

The Senate is bumping a vote on legislation to codify the right to marriage equality until after the midterm elections, senators announced on Thursday.

Why it matters: The development highlights the challenge senators whipping support for the bill have had wrangling 10 Republican votes on such a sensitive social issue in the run-up to the Nov. 8 election.

The backdrop: Only a handful of Senate Republicans have said publicly they plan to vote for the legislation.

Senators working on the bill have been crafting a religious freedom amendment to get more Republicans on board, but this week they began to raise concerns that they would run out of time.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was expected to tee up a vote for early next week.

What they're saying: “We’ve asked Leader Schumer for additional time and we appreciate he has agreed,” said Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in a statement.

“We are confident that when our legislation comes to the Senate floor for a vote, we will have the bipartisan support to pass the bill,” they added.

What we're watching: Schumer's spokesperson Justin Goodman said in a statement the Democratic leader is "100 percent committed" to holding the vote before the end of the year.

"[He] will hold the bipartisan group to their promise that the votes to pass this marriage equality legislation will be there after the election," Goodman said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Chuck Schumer's spokesperson.

Add Axios on Google

Same-sex marriage vote pushed until after election

What to read next