2 senators voted against same-sex marriage — then to protect it
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Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) voted Tuesday night to protect marriage equality rights — a reversal from 26 years ago, when they voted to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
Why it matters: The striking shift in Congress reflects the broader trend of the American public now overwhelmingly supporting marriage equality, just nine years out from the Supreme Court's historic ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
By the numbers: In 1996, 32 out of 47 Senate Democrats voted in support of the Defense of Marriage Act. In 2022, 49 out of 50 Democrats — Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) missed the vote —voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which officially repeals DOMA.
- Four Democrats, including Leahy and Murray, have been in the Senate long enough to vote both times. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) voted both times in defense of same-sex marriage rights.
- Of the four Republicans who have been in the Senate for both votes, none changed their position.
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), along with Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), voted for DOMA in the Senate in 1996 and against the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday.
Between the lines: 13 current senators were in the House in 1996 and voted on DOMA as representatives.
- Seven of them — two Republicans and five Democrats — voted to protect marriage equality Tuesday after voting against it in 1996.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was among the five Democrats who voted against protecting the right to same-sex marriage in the House in 1996.
- President Biden was also in the Senate in 1996 and voted against marriage equality.
The other side: In July, 13 House members voted to protect same-sex marriage after voting against it in 1996.
