A possible Republican candidate for
Iowa governor in 2010 has already unfurled his campaign slogan: I'll
repeal gay marriage.
Bob Vander Plaats is placing his bet on
the divisive issue. Unhappy with Republican Governor Chet Culver's
response to an Iowa Supreme Court ruling issued in early April that
legalized gay marriage, Vander Plaats has taken on the issue in hopes
of riding it to the governor's mansion.
Last week, Vander Plaats demanded
Culver immediately shut off gay marriage before it begins – April
27 – by issuing an executive order.
“I want this governor to issue an
executive order that says there will be a stay on all same-sex
marriages until the people of Iowa have the right to vote,” he said
at an anti-gay marriage rally at the state Capitol. Then added he
would issue the executive order if voted in.
And this week, new ads on the Internet
ask viewers to join him if they do not believe the Iowa Supreme Court
should define marriage for everyone. The ads were first seen on The
Drudge Report.
Vander Plaats previously mounted two
unsuccessful bids to become governor and strongly backed anti-gay
Governor Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign.
The rapid posturing on the subject
suggests that Iowans are likely to hear and read a lot about gay
marriage in the coming election.