Republican presidential candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) is telling his party to “accept” the Supreme Court’s ruling Friday and drop the same-sex marriage debate.
The party’s official 2012 platform supported a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as that between one man and one woman. Entering 2016 with the same position will only “hurt” the GOP, Graham told NBC anchor Chuck Todd during an interview on Sunday’s Meet the Press.
“What I want to do is protect the religious liberties of those who believe that opposing same-sex marriage is part of their faith,” Graham explained. “So, no, I would not engage in the Constitutional amendment process as a party going into 2016. Accept the court’s ruling. Fight for the religious liberties of every American.”
Graham’s shift from the definition of marriage to religious liberties seems to be one of his main points as a candidate going forward. Graham said Friday that he would respect the Supreme Court’s decision.
Now that the decision has been made, his focus is strictly on protecting those who do not agree with it for personally-held, religious reasons. Graham told the Washington Times, “No person of faith should ever be forced by the federal government to take action that goes against his or her conscience or the tenets of their religion.”
Only time will tell if his party will follow suit in preparation for what is sure to be a major definitive stance amid the 2016 election.
