US Presidential hopefuls seeking to win conservative voters were quick to voice criticism of an Iowa county judge’s ruling to allow gay “marriage” in his county despite the state’s ban on same-sex civil “marriage.”
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was the first to denounce the decision by Polk County Judge Robert Hanson, who last Thursday ruled that the state’s decade-old same-sex “marriage” ban violated the couples’ constitutional rights. Romney even voiced support of a federal ban on same-sex “marriage.”
“The ruling in Iowa … is another example of an activist court and unelected judges trying to redefine marriage and disregard the will of the people as expressed through Iowa’s Defense of Marriage Act,” the Republican contender said in a statement shortly after the ruling was made, according to The Associated Press.
“This once again highlights the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman,” he said.
Romney has been accused of flip-flopping on key issues held by the conservative voting base such as abortion and gay rights. He was previously pro-choice and has been fiercely fighting to win the trust of pro-life voters emphasizing he is now anti-abortion.
Likewise, Romney is viewed with suspicion by many conservative Christian voters for being the former governor of the only state in the nation where same-sex “marriage” is legal.
His quick move to denounce the ruling is said to be a political maneuver to enhance his conservative image among Republican voters.
Also criticizing the Iowa ruly were Republican presidential contenders Sen. Sam Brownback, Sen. John McCain and former Sen. Fred Thompson.
