Friday, Oct. 14, 2022
Did Ron Johnson say he opposes gay marriage?
Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has not directly expressed his opposition to gay marriage in recent years. But he recently said he opposes the proposed Respect for Marriage Act — a bill to codify gay and interracial marriage into law — that passed the U.S. House:
"Certainly … the way the law is written right now, it threatens religious liberty so before I would even consider voting for that bill, I would want to see very strong protections for religious liberty," he said at an October debate.
The statement is a change for Johnson, who in July said he supported the bill.
Johnson has waffled on his stance on gay marriage before. He opposed same-sex marriage during his 2010 Senate campaign before saying in 2014 that he would not oppose it if voters approved it. And he recently said he has always supported civil unions.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Mandela Barnes vs. Ron Johnson: 2022 debate between US Senate candidates from Wisconsin
- Heartland Signal Audio of Ron Johnson at Common Sense Citizens of Washington County September 2022 meeting
- Heartland Signal Ron Johnson: Bill protecting same-sex marriage ‘completely unnecessary’
- Politico Same-sex marriage puts Ron Johnson in a bind
- CNBC Ron Johnson on gay marriage in 2014
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