Virginia Democrat Senator Merk Warner backs gay marriage - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

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Dem Sen. Warner backs gay marriage - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
by Jonathan Easley

By Jonathan Easley - 03/25/13 04:39 PM ET
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Virginia Democrat Mark Warner announced his support for gay marriage in a post on his Facebook page Monday.

“I support marriage equality because it is the fair and right thing to do,” he wrote. “Like many Virginians and Americans, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and this is the inevitable extension of my efforts to promote equality and opportunity for everyone.”Warner joins a slew of politicians from both sides of the aisle who have come out in favor of same-sex marriage ahead of oral arguments at the Supreme Court this week in two cases about whether same-sex couples have the right to marry.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who hails from a traditionally red state, announced her support earlier in the day, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made her statement of support in a video last week.
On the GOP side, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), once viewed as a potential vice presidential candidate to Mitt Romney, publicly endorsed gay marriage this month after learning two years ago his son was gay. Last month, other prominent Republicans signed a legal brief arguing that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.In his statement, Warner touted his past efforts on behalf of gay rights.“I was proud to be the first Virginia governor to extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBT state workers,” he said. “In 2010, I supported an end to the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, and earlier this month I signed an amicus brief urging the repeal of DOMA. I believe we should continue working to expand equal rights and opportunities for all Americans.”
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