The 12 Republican Senators Who Voted for the Same-Sex Marriage Law - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Three of them are retiring from Congress. One has a cheery son. One followed the pb of his church, and others said they were acrophobic chiefly with spiritual liberty protections.

When President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act connected Tuesday successful a splashy outdoor ceremonial astatine the White House, helium was surrounded by immoderate of the 12 Republican senators whose enactment helped propulsion it crossed the legislative decorativeness line. The measurement mandates national designation for same-sex and interracial marriages and overturns the Defense of Marriage Act.

The occurrence of the authorities has reflected a tectonic displacement successful views successful the United States connected same-sex marriage, erstwhile a profoundly divisive governmental contented but present thing that about 70 percent of Americans — including a bulk of Republicans — support, according to caller polls.

Still, the immense bulk of House and Senate Republicans opposed the bill, and uncovering capable G.O.P. senators to walk it was not easy. In the end, supporters won implicit much than the 10 Republicans needed to interruption a filibuster. They were lobbied by their colleagues, by prominent cheery donors and operatives successful their party, and by spiritual groups who secured stronger spiritual liberty provisions.

Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri

One of lone 2 Republicans successful enactment to ballot for the bill, Mr. Blunt is retiring from Congress successful January, sparing him immoderate governmental consequences for supporting it. While helium is simply a conservative, Mr. Blunt has astatine times breached from his enactment to enactment bipartisan initiatives, specified arsenic a gun information measure that became instrumentality this year, a bill past twelvemonth to rise the indebtedness limit and the $1 trillion infrastructure package.

Mr. Blunt said helium would enactment the same-sex matrimony authorities aft it was amended to see spiritual liberty protections.

Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina

Mr. Burr besides is retiring successful January. Although helium said small publically astir the legislation, his colleagues saw his ballot arsenic emblematic for him. In 2010, Mr. Burr voted to repeal the argumentation known arsenic “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which barred openly cheery and bisexual radical from serving successful the military, calling the policy “outdated.”

Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia

Ms. Capito is different Republican who, portion conservative, has sometimes been consenting to interruption with her enactment connected large legislation, specified arsenic the gun safety compromise measure earlier this twelvemonth and efforts to assistance the indebtedness ceiling. She was besides a pb negotiator connected the bipartisan infrastructure legislation. In announcing her enactment for the same-sex matrimony bill, Ms. Capito said she was won implicit lone aft spiritual protections were added.

“This does not lessen the accepted sanctity of matrimony oregon jeopardize the state of spiritual institutions,” she said successful a statement.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine

One of the much mean senators successful her party, Ms. Collins was the pb Republican negotiator connected the matrimony bill, moving intimately with Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin, to code concerns among her colleagues that the authorities would punish oregon restrict the religious state of institutions that garbage to admit same-sex marriages.

Ms. Collins besides worked intimately with the extracurricular radical of G.O.P. donors and operatives, immoderate of them gay, connected a coordinated, $1.7 cardinal run to transportation Republican senators that backing it would springiness them a governmental edge.

Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa

Ms. Ernst was the lone subordinate of Republican enactment successful the Senate who is not retiring to enactment the measure. Ms. Ernst said that portion her views connected matrimony person been evolving, the measure would “simply support the presumption quo successful Iowa.”

Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming

The first-term legislator faced the astir unit to reason the bill, particularly aft the different Republican legislator from Wyoming, John Barrasso, voted against it. Ms. Lummis, who is simply a subordinate of Trinity Lutheran Church, was pressed by the Wyoming Pastors Network to “reverse course” aft she voted yes successful a important trial ballot that paved the mode for the measure to beforehand successful the Senate. The Wyoming G.O.P. besides admonished her for supporting the bill, which it claimed would endanger the authorities enactment platform.

But Ms. Lummis, her colleagues said, was determined.

“For the involvement of our federation contiguous and its survival, we bash good by taking this step,” she said connected the Senate level past month, delivering an affectional code astir the request for much tolerance during what she called “turbulent times for our nation.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska

Ms. Murkowski is simply a mean who often veers from her party’s line, truthful her ballot successful favour of the authorities did not travel arsenic a surprise. In 2013, she was the 3rd Republican legislator to travel retired successful favour of same-sex marriage.

Senator Rob Portman of Ohio

Another of the main negotiators connected the bill, Mr. Portman archetypal said publically that helium was successful favour of same-sex matrimony successful 2013, after his lad came retired arsenic gay. He had been a sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act.

“It’s a alteration of bosom from the presumption of a father,” Mr. Portman told Ohio reporters that year. His enactment for the same-sex matrimony authorities reflects however the contented has garnered wide bipartisan enactment crossed the country: Many radical who erstwhile opposed same-sex matrimony successful the abstract person shifted their views connected the contented due to the fact that of relatives oregon adjacent friends who are gay.

Mr. Portman is retiring from Congress.

Senator Mitt Romney of Utah

Mr. Romney has earned a estimation arsenic thing of a moderate, seeking bipartisan statement erstwhile possible, though helium remains conservative. A Mormon, Mr. Romney came retired successful favour of the authorities aft the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which historically has been opposed to cheery rights, gave its enactment to the bill.

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina

Mr. Tillis was portion of the bipartisan radical of negotiators who worked to onslaught an statement connected the authorities that could gully further Republican support. He was besides 1 of the Republicans who worked with Democrats earlier this twelvemonth connected the bipartisan compromise that led to the enactment of the archetypal weapon information authorities to walk Congress successful years.

Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska

Mr. Sullivan said helium supported the measure due to the fact that of the spiritual liberty provisions that were added during negotiations. In a statement, helium said his ballot was “much much astir promoting and expanding spiritual liberty protections than same-sex marriage.”

Senator Todd Young of Indiana

In an op-ed successful his hometown paper, Mr. Young said helium had heard from galore constituents disappointed successful his determination to enactment the legislation. But, helium said, “the explicit protections successful this connection connection acold much successful the mode of spiritual liberty protections than presently nether Obergefell,” referring to the 2015 Supreme Court determination that legalized same-sex matrimony nationwide.