Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., acknowledged Sunday that his party would support a presidential candidate who favored same-sex marriage, but added that he still believes that marriage should remain between a man and a woman.
In the interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press Sunday, Flake responded to a question about whether Republicans would ever support a pro-gay marriage candidate.
“I think that’s inevitable,” Flake said. “There will be one and I think he’ll receive Republican support, or she will. So I think that yes, the answer is yes.”
Flake’s comments came as the tide seemed to be turning among the public and among Republicans on marriage equality. As the Supreme Court held hearings on the constitutionality of Prop 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act last week, prominent Republicans, including Rob Portman and Lisa Murkowski, who said her views on same-sex marriage were “evolving,” came out in support of marriage equality.
Republicans may be catching up to Americans on the issue of marriage equality. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, 58% of registered voters favored marriage equality.
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