The Greene County Republican Party
Central Committee on Thursday passed on endorsing Ohio Senator Rob
Portman, voting instead to back the campaign of Don Eckhart, a
Christian conservative opposed to marriage equality.
In 2013, Portman announced that he
supports his gay son's right to marry, infuriating conservatives such
as Phil Burress, head of Citizens for Community Values, who vowed to
derail his reelection to the Senate.
“Portman disappointed Christian
conservatives when he flip-flopped on same-sex 'marriage,'” the
group said in a press release touting Eckhart's endorsement.
“Portman came out in favor of homosexual 'marriage' after getting
elected on a conservative platform. As it turns out, voters do not
like hypocrisy.”
Burress added: “There are three
non-negotiables for social conservatives – life, marriage and
religious liberty. On my scorecard Portman scores a “D” on life,
“F” on marriage and “F” on religious liberty. Portman no
longer deserves our support.”
The group conceded that Eckhart, a
perennial candidate, was a protest candidate.