Marriage equality is heating up in New Jersey, and that may prove a problem for Chris Christie. The Republican governor, who vetoed a marriage bill passed by the legislature, complained that the Supreme Court ruling striking down DOMA was “judicial supremacy.” By all accounts, Christie is the only reason that same-sex couples can’t get married New Jersey, the non-equality state with the highest level of public support for marriage equality. Christie wants the issue turned into a ballot measure, so that his presidential ambitions won’t be harmed.
State Democrats, however, are pushing anew to override Christie’s veto. To do so, they will need to pry loose a few Republican legislators. Senate President Stephen Sweeney is calling on Republicans to “vote their conscience.” Sweeney also claims that several Republicans have told him privately that they would like to support marriage equality, but that Christie intimidated them to oppose it. (Christie responded that he talks to legislators but isn’t “the one down there pushing the buttons.”) Sweeney is hopeful that the Supreme Court decision will give enough Republicans the cover they need to switch sides.
Christie seems to be trapped in a short-term play while looking at the long-game. If he is interested in running for president in 2016, he needs to shore up his conservative credentials. But three years is a long-time in the marriage equality fight, and it’s hard to see how Christie can stop the momentum in his state. If the legislature can’t get it’s act together, there are still the courts, where a challenge to the ban is underway. Simply not having his fingerprints on a marriage equality law is not going to satisfy conservatives. Christie needs to affirmatively try to stop it.
And ultimately, that’s a losing battle. If you think the Republican party is likely to nominate a presidential candidate in 2016 who presides over a state with marriage equality, think again. Ballot measure, veto override, court ruling: it all boils down to the same thing. Assuming his re-election, Chris Christie will be governor of New Jersey when marriage equality becomes law. Try explaining that to GOP base.
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Jonty Coppersmith
I doubt they’ll be able to get the votes to override his veto, but at the same time
I hope to be proven wrong. I don’t think that presiding over a state with marriage
equality would disqualify him from the GOP nomination as long as he didn’t sign it
into law. After all look at 2012. Who was the nominee but a governor who presided
over a state with marriage equality.
Ottoman
The NJ Supreme Court will probably legalize full marriage equality later this year now that DOMA is dead. Letting Christie off the hook and making it a non issue for his next term. He gets to bitch and moan about activist judges which will only make him more popular with the teabillies.
1EqualityUSA
Mark Zuckerberg is a donor to this ass. New money is so crass.
Icebloo
Of course he is going to run for President -that is why he has had weight loss surgery. He knows America won’t vote for a fatty.
Typical lazy Republican opting for the easy weight loss option instead of hitting the gym.
GO HILLARY !
balehead
Where can we email Mark Zuckerberg???……
balehead
Or Facebook him?….
1EqualityUSA
Chris Christie will never be President. Oh, and an electrolyte imbalance will come into play. Tea leaves.
StephK
Christie has painted himself in a corner, especially after his outburst re:the SCOTUS decisions.By the time the inevitable happens..by veto override or the NJ Supreme Court edict, Christie is going to look like a Bible Belt governor with egg on his face. As a resident of the Garden State, I just have to say for that reason and so many others, this Tony Soprano wannabe is an embarrassment to the fine citizens of N.J..
D9W
calling on Republicans to “vote their conscience.” – What conscience?
Dixie Rect
When he veto’d this, he said due to his Catholic upbringing he just couldn’t sign it. Douche. Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?
JDJase
“If you think the Republican party is likely to nominate a presidential candidate in 2016 who presides over a state with marriage equality, think again.”
Well gee, they certainly managed to do it in 2012…
You should probably leave the political analysis to the experts and just focus on quoting real news sources. Queerty is (and should be) nothing more than a news aggregator site.
Randy
Christie has to be against marriage equality in order to be viable for the GOP primary. After that, if he wins, his opinion will change for the general election. He’s just doing what he is told to do by his party. The GOP probably thinks he’s their best hope. Who else do they have? Jindle? Jeb Bush?