GOP Presidential Contenders

Background

Mitt Romney's political career began in 1994 when he switched his party affiliation from Independent to Republican during his unsuccessful campaign against U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. Romney returned to business and eventually served as CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. After contributing $6 million of his own money to his campaign, Romney was elected governor in 2002, serving only one term. He unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. In April 2011, he officially launched a presidential exploratory committee.

Voting Record

• As governor in 2002, Romney first opposed same-sex marriage and civil unions, but following the decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, he backed a state constitutional amendment that banned marriage equality but allowed civil unions.
• However, a year after supporting the amendment, Romney re-evaluated his stance and opted to back an amendment that would ban both same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Rhetoric

On the one hand…

• In trying to secure an endorsement in 1994 from the Log Cabin Republicans, Romney promised to be a stronger advocate for gay rights than Sen. Kennedy.
  • Romney said, "I think [Republican former governor of Massachusetts] Bill Weld's fiscal conservatism, his focus on creating jobs and employment and his efforts to fight discrimination and assure civil rights for all is a model that I identify with and aspire to."
  • He favored allowing gays and lesbians to serve "openly and honestly" in the armed forces.
• During his 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial race, his campaign distributed flyers that read, "Mitt and Kerry wish you a great Pride weekend! All citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference."
• Romney also argued during the campaign that he would support various domestic partnership benefits, including hospital visitation rights.
• During his inauguration speech, Romney stated that it was important to defend civil rights "regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or race."
• As late as 2008, Romney stated that "we must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern."

But on the other hand…

• In 2004 and 2006, Romney urged the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment.
• Romney said to MSNBC's Chris Matthews in 2005, "I don't want civil unions or gay marriage."
• During his 2008 presidential campaign, Romney was a supporter of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, noting that it had been in place for almost 15 years and "seem[ed] to be working." (He did acknowledge that the policy would eventually end, but concluded that changing it during wartime was not the time to do it. )
• Romney criticized President Obama's decision to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court, stating that the president "has an obligation as chief executive to enforce and defend the laws of the nation. He should not abdicate that responsibility based on his own interpretations and personal views."

Learn more about Mitt Romney's flip flops. Play Mitt 'N Match.

Background

Rick Santorum began his political career in 1990 at the age of 32 with his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 18th District. Santorum was then elected to the Senate in 1994 and again in 2000. Santorum sought a third term but was defeated by Bob Casey, Jr. Santorum has been practicing law in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. and has recently re-entered the political arena by announcing the formation of his presidential exploratory committee in April.

Voting Record

• In 1993 he voted for banning the use of public funds to implement or enforce the District of Columbia's domestic partnership ordinance.
• In 1993, he voted in favor of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.
• In 1996, he voted against the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
• In 1996, Santorum voted for the Defense of Marriage Act.
• Over several years, he voted against federal hate crimes legislation that included sexual orientation.

Rhetoric

• Santorum does not support marriage equality. Santorum views marriage not as a means to affirm your love for someone, but more about "uniting together to be open to children, to further civilization in our society."
• Santorum believes that if same-sex couples were allowed to get married it would destroy traditional marriage you have a "dramatic impact on the quality" of the institution.
• In response to the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas, Santorum stated that he "has a problem with homosexual acts" because if the Supreme Court says that you "have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery." Santorum attempted to clarify his comment on same-sex marriage by stating that he wasn't trying to pick on homosexuality because "it's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."
• Santorum is vehemently against LGBT couples adopting, arguing that the state is doing a disservice to the child.
• Santorum opposed the 2010 repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and favors reinstatement of the policy if he were to become president
• He opposed the Obama Administration's decision to no longer defend DOMA in federal court, arguing that the decision will eviscerate the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and has urged House Speaker John Boehner to step in and defend the law in court.

Background

Ron Paul has been in and out of elected office since 1976. In 1988 he won the Libertarian Party's nomination for president, but was defeated in the general election by George H.W. Bush. Paul returned to private medical practice for seven years. He decided in 1996 to run again for the U.S. House of Representatives and has served has Texas's 14th District since then. In 2008 he entered the GOP presidential primary and has done so again this cycle, announcing in April his presidential exploratory committee.

Voting Record

• In 1999, Paul voted for an amendment that would have banned federal funding in the District of Columbia for couples who want to adopt a child.
• He voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004 driven by a belief that the federal government should not be in the business of defining marriage, a responsibility of the states.
• Paul missed votes on two key pieces of legislation--hate crimes and workplacenondiscrimination (ENDA) in the 110th Congress. He voted against hate crimes legislation in the 111th Congress however.
• In the 111th Congress, Paul voted against
• Paul voted in favor of repealing the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" law.

View on LGBT Issues

• Congressman Paul is opposed to recognizing marriage equality at the federal level saying that to do so would be "an act of social engineering profoundly hostile to liberty." Paul takes a very hands-off approach to marriage issues declaring that he does not want to "interfere in the free association of two individuals in a social, sexual, and religious sense" and is "supportive of all voluntary associations and people can call it whatever they want."
• Paul told a crowd in Iowa that states should have a right to legalize the marriage of loving, committed gay couples if they so choose.
• He has been critical of the Supreme Court’s decision in Lawrence v. Texas that struck down state sodomy laws nationwide. While he has stated that sodomy laws are “ridiculous,” he believes that overturning them was an intrusion on states’ rights.
• Paul supports the Defense of Marriage Act and has labeled the Obama Administration's decision to no longer defend the law in federal court an attempt to "undermine state law that defines marriage."

Background

Newt Gingrich began his political career with two unsuccessful congressional campaigns in 1974 and 1976 to represent Georgia's sixth congressional district. He was ultimately elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1978. In 1995, Gingrich became the first Republican Speaker of the House since 1954. Gingrich led a tumultuous period for House Republicans and eventually in 1998 resigned from his congressional seat. He created a website titled "Newt Exploratory 2012" as an equivalent to a 2012 presidential exploratory committee.

Voting Record

• Gingrich voted in favor of the 1993 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law banning openly gay and lesbian service members from serving their country.
• Gingrich voted in 1993 for an amendment that banned the use of public funds to implement or enforce D.C.'s domestic partners ordinance.

   

  He has stated his opposition to domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples but believes that same-sex couples should have basic legal rights to visit their partners in the hospital or leave their estates to their partners.

View on LGBT Issues

• The former Speaker of the House has insisted that "homosexuals are entitled to the same rights as all Americans," and "what goes on in the bedroom is private, and the government should not be in the business of being 'bedroom' police." Gingrich has called for the reinstatement of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
• He supports a federal constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage stating in 2010 that "Congress now has the responsibility to act immediately to reaffirm marriage as a union of one man and one woman as our national policy."
• Gingrich donated $150,000 of money he raised for his political group to the campaign to oust three of Iowa's seven judges who had unanimously ruled marriage equality to be legal.
• Gingrich says he stands "on some kind of legal rights" for LGBT Americans. What "rights" he is talking about are unknown, making this claim highly dubious give his rhetorical record.
• He has argued that if President Obama doesn't enforce the Defense of Marriage Act, the House of Representatives should consider commencing impeachment hearings.
• Gingrich opposes employment nondiscrimination legislation and does not support adoption by same-sex couples. He is not "in favor of creating the notion of gay…adoption."
• He has said there is "a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us."