The findings reflect broad trends revealed in other polls. As support has steadily risen, “gay marriage has lost its clout [to divide voters] as a wedge issue,’’ said Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies for the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. “Same-sex marriage has become mainstream.’’
The steady shift in American opinion was reflected in the muted political response to President Obama’s decision last month not to defend the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The law is under attack in federal courts over its constitutionality.
The first reaction of House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, to the president’s announcement was a bland critique of the timing — not the substance — of Obama’s decision. The Republican-controlled US House then took over defense of the law with little fanfare, bypassing the opportunity to hold a floor debate and a vote before the public.
“If you’re looking to fire up conservatives, gay marriage is still popular,’’ said Ron Bonjean, a Republican political strategist. “But the fight has been for independents and the center, and what they really care about are jobs and the economy. It’s hard to see what candidate would try to make gay marriage a front and center part of the message.’’
In the 15 years since the Defense of Marriage Act was passed and signed by President Clinton, five states and Washington, D.C., have allowed same-sex marriage, and other states have passed civil union statutes to extend more rights to gay couples.
In New Hampshire, legislators this month put off a vote to repeal the state’s 2009 gay marriage law, delaying action on repeal proposals until 2012. People on each side of the debate were disappointed in the lack of action, but Republican leaders said the gay marriage debate would have distracted from their efforts to deal with the state’s finances and education funding this year.
In California, the question of extending marriage rights to gay couples is in the hands of the courts. California voters in 2008 narrowly approved “Proposition 8,’’ which limited marriage to heterosexual couples.
