GOP Senatorial Hopeful Comes Out Against Prop 8

Former Californian Congressman and current Senatorial hopeful Tom Campbell, a Republican, today came out against Proposition 8, which would overturn the California Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling. Though Campbell agrees judges shouldn’t be making such decisions, he still vows to vote no on Proposition 8.

It was really quite a stretch for the California Supreme Court to say that the Constitution of California already contains a right for same-sex marriage, when the Constitution doesn’t say a word about it. The truth is: It’s a new issue. To those who say the Court got it wrong, I say: I agree. It’s for us to decide. Now, let’s make the right decision. And that right decision, in my view, is to allow same-sex marriage in California.

Republicans believe deeply that government should be limited. Government has no business making distinctions between people based on their personal lives. That’s why, as a Californian and a Republican who has held elective office at the federal and state levels, I will be voting No on Proposition 8.
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Gay couples are asking for a chance to play by the rules. We can give them that chance. For those of us who are proud of our party’s and our state’s reputation for fairness and against discrimination, our choice is very clear: No on Proposition 8.

This isn’t the first time Campbell has come out for California’s queers. While a Congressman, in 2000, Campbell voiced his opposition to a similar ballot initiative, the Knight Initiative, which would have banned gay marriage. If only he could persuade his party peers to be so progressive.