A GOP pollster who is advising Marco Rubio predicted Tuesday that the controversy over Indiana’s “religious freedom” law will not drive voters in 2016, but stopped short of saying whether it is politically wise for Republican candidates to support it.
“Most people are going to make decisions on something other than this issue,” Whit Ayres said at a breakfast with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “A Republican candidate needs to be true to their fundamental religious and moral beliefs, and I think they need to wrap a message around it that has a tone of tolerance and respect for those who disagree.”
But, when asked directly by the Washington Examiner whether likely presidential candidates would benefit from supporting the law and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who signed it, Ayres would not venture into that territory.
The law, known formally as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, has become a source of great controversy since Pence signed it last week. Opponents of the measure say it would create legal space for businesses to turn away gay couples on religious grounds — spurring a string of corporations to announce they will cut ties with Indiana for as long as the law is in place.
Pence, meanwhile, has maintained that the law would merely protect religion from government interference, but Tuesday announced he will push for a fix this week “that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses the right to deny services to anyone.”
“There was never any intention in this law to create a license to discriminate,” Pence told Fox News on Tuesday. “We will clarify this in the days ahead and will fix this and move forward.”
A range of Republican presidential candidates, from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to Sen. Ted Cruz, have expressed their support for Pence and the law, as did Rubio.
“The issue we’re talking about here is, should someone who provides a professional service be punished by the law because they refused to provide that professional service to a ceremony that they believe is in violation of their faith?” Rubio said on Fox News. “I think people have a right to live out their religious faith in their own lives.”
The issue of gay marriage and gay rights will likely still confront Republican candidates with a political challenge, however, with the party having traditionally opposed gay marriage but with the public increasingly in favor.
“We’re headed to the point where a political candidate who is perceived as anti-gay at the presidential level will never connect with people under 30 years old,” Ayres said.
