New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
says he's ready to back another effort to legalize gay marriage in
the Empire State.
In
remarks to the New York Daily News, Bloomberg said he
would lobby Senate Republicans on behalf of the bill.
“If there's a chance to pass a bill,
I will do it,” Bloomberg told the paper. “I'll go lobby.”
Passage in the Senate remains key to
getting the bill to Governor Andrew Cuomo's desk.
In 2009, eight of the chamber's
Democratic members crossed the aisle to join all Republicans in
killing the measure. Neither that loss nor the fact that Republicans
now control the chamber is slowing momentum for a second campaign
later this year.
Cuomo
has already announced he'll back the effort.
While the News notes that
Bloomberg might have the “juice” to change a few Senate GOP minds
because he's their largest financial benefactor, they neglect to
mention that the third-term mayor's lobbying failed to convince any
fellow Republicans in the Senate in 2009.
In events that often included openly
gay City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Bloomberg urged New Yorkers
– and lawmakers – to support gay marriage.
Last year, Bloomberg
recorded a PSA for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest
gay rights advocate.