No change for McKenna on gay marriage

Although President Barack Obama says his view of gay marriage has evolved, a candidate for Governor in Washington is not changing his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Rob McKenna has often said he shares the same position on the issue as the Democratic president. They don’t share the same views anymore. President Obama declared that “same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

Obama’s comments, in an interview with ABC News, marked the first time a U.S. president had publicly expressed support for gay marriage.

McKenna’s campaign has not released a statement yet about the President’s statements on same-sex marriage.

The Republican told me earlier this year, “As a Catholic I feel that marriage is a union of one man and one woman.”

“For me it’s not a matter of public policy, it’s a matter of faith. I recognize not everyone holds that view,” he said. He also says if there is a public vote on the state’s marriage equality law in November he will set his views aside “enforcing the will of the voters and upholding that law.”

Democrat Jay Inslee, also running for Governor, says there is a “clear distinction” between the two candidates on same-sex marriage.

“I’ve been in a marriage of 39 years and I know the rewards of that long-term relationship and I know the rewards of the community recognizing it,” Inslee says. “No politician should be allowed to deny any of my fellow citizens that right to decide who they love.”

By LINDA THOMAS, AP file photos