The debate over gay marriage continues
to drive the Iowa GOP campaign to regain the Governor's mansion.
When primary voters shunned the
anti-gay marriage rhetoric of Bob Vander Plaats, opting instead to
nominate former Governor Terry Branstad as their GOP pick, the issued
appeared settled.
But while Vander Plaats was the
contest's most vocal opponent of the 2009 Iowa Supreme Court ruling
that legalized gay marriage in the state, Branstad, a moderate
Republican who believes in limited gay rights, is also opposed to the
institution.
His pick of state Senator Kim Reynolds
as his running mate is seen as a play for more socially conservative
voters who supported the candidacy of Vander Plaats.
Reynolds says she's a “pro-life, and
… pro-family” candidate.
She's already been dispatched to
counties where Vander Plaats showed strength in the June Republican
primary.
“In some of the counties that the
governor (Branstad) didn't carry I'm gonna try to get out there and
meet with them and just talk to them and listen to them, give them an
opportunity to get to know me,” Reynolds told The Iowa
Independent.
She said she would be open to the idea
of civil unions for gay couples.
“We could take a look at civil
unions. There are other options maybe that I would be in favor of
looking at.”
But she added that she would vote
against gay marriage.
“But the bottom line is this is an
extremely important issue, and I believe that Iowans have a right to
speak on that,” she said.
Social conservatives continue to
vocally express their disappointment with Democrats who've blocked
attempts by Republicans to begin the process of putting the question
of a gay marriage ban before voters.
With Reynolds on board, Branstad
appears to have found a strategy to reach gay marriage opponents
without directly campaigning on the issue.