Anna Moneymaker
After more than two months of private negotiations over legislation that would codify same-sex marriage rights nationwide, the leading broker for the bill announced on Thursday that a vote on the bill would be postponed until after the midterms—a move, sources close to the negotiations said, is intended to win additional Republican supporters once the issue can’t be weaponized during campaign season.
“I’m still very confident that the bill will pass, but we will be taking the bill up later, after the election,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) told reporters after a caucus lunch with fellow Democrats.
Baldwin, who alongside Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) led efforts to convince moderate Republican senators to back legislation securing same-sex marriage rights nationwide, had recently predicted that the bill would come up for a vote as early as next week—despite most recent whip counts indicating that only six Republicans would back the measure.