Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
There will not be a debate or vote on marriage equality in the Senate until after the mid-term elections. Democrats accept that there aren’t yet the 10 Republican votes to get the vote over the line, but remain optimistic that there will be at some point.
Where this positivity comes from is a mystery. Some say that Republican senators wouldn’t want to vote for the bill before the elections, because a “no vote” would not fly with voters, the majority of whom support marriage equality. Republican senators will be more receptive after the mid-term elections when they don’t have to show their right-wing credentials in tooth and claw.
Some Dems like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wanted the vote to happen, even if it did not succeed, so voters could see how Republican senators voted—and could then vote accordingly in the mid-terms having again, post-Roe, seen evidence of how out of step Republicans are with mainstream public opinion.