GOP strategist Karl Rove on Sunday said
he could see a Republican candidate for president in 2016 endorsing
gay marriage.
Participating in an ABC This Week
panel discussing the issue of marriage equality as it relates to two
upcoming cases before the Supreme Court, Rove was asked by moderator
George Stephanopoulos, “Can you imagine the next presidential
campaign, a Republican candidate saying flat out, 'I am for gay
marriage?'”
“I could,” Rove replied before
changing the subject. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
In a statement to ABC News after the
program aired, Rove's office clarified that while Rove could see a
GOP candidate endorsing marriage equality, it won't likely be the
nominee.
Rove was the 2004 chief strategist for
then-President George W. Bush's reelection campaign. And he is
credited with devising an anti-gay marriage strategy that placed
ballot initiatives on the issue in several states as a way to
increase the turnout among evangelical Christians, a crucial GOP
voting bloc.