A new poll of New York state senators
reveals that a large majority (68%) are either opposed or undecided
on a gay marriage bill.
The survey conducted by New York City's
24-hour news channel NY1
and released Tuesday suggests gay marriage supporters are facing a
steep incline.
Yesterday, state Senator Thomas Duane,
the Senate sponsor of the legislation, announced he had the 32 votes
necessary to pass the gay marriage bill in the Senate.
“I'm telling you, we have the votes.
It's coming to the floor. It's passing,” Duane, who is openly gay,
said.
Last month, Assemblymembers passed the
bill that grants gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, and
Governor David Paterson has pledged to sign the bill into law. But
the bill appears to be stalling in the Democratically-controlled
Senate as the session draws to a close.
Only 20 senators, all Democrats, said
they support the legislation. Twenty-seven members – 22
Republicans, 5 Democrats – said they would vote no. Ten senators
said they were undecided, while 5 refused to answer.
The results look grim for gay marriage
advocates in the Empire State. Of the remaining 15 undisclosed
votes, 7 are Democrats and 8 are Republicans. For passage, all remaining Democrats would need to vote in favor of the bill and bring
along 5 of the 8 undisclosed Republicans as well – and no Senate
Republican has publicly expressed support for gay marriage.