According to the Des Moines Register, not only was pro-equality Governor Chet Culver ousted, but the Republicans will take control of the Iowa House, and the three pro-equality Justices on the ballot who all chose not to campaign were rejected for retention, opening them all up for replacement by re-elected anti-equality Governor Branstad. Democrats will maintan a very SLIM majority in the Senate, but the likelihood of a voter referendum reversing marriage equality in that state now seems closer to reality.
The Burlington Free Press revealed that at a Saturday state Democratic Party reception at the Burlington Hilton, Vermont's former Governor Howard Dean encouraged the leaders in his state to pass legislation legalizing Same-Sex Marriage. Dean was the governor back in 2000 when Vermont became the first state in the Union to enact Civil Unions legislation under pressure from the courts. Now they may just be the first state to enact Marriage Equality WITHOUT pressure from the courts. The Current Governor, Jim Douglas has vowed to veto the legislation when it hits his desk, however, he's also indicated that even he doubts the legislators would not have moved the legislation forward if they did not have a Veto-Proof majority. Let's hope this bolsters the cause of equality even more.
Comments