Perdue: I won’t vote to ban gay marriage
RALEIGH — Gov. Bev Perdue said she opposes the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, but she offered her opposition in a winding, low-key statement late Friday afternoon.
While the governor said she believes marriage is between one man and one woman, she said the proposed amendment could make it harder to attract jobs to the state.
“I’m going to vote against the amendment because I cannot in good conscience look an unemployed man or woman in the eye and tell them that this amendment is more important than finding them a job,” she said in a prepared statement.
Perdue, a Democrat, cited legal opinions that predict the amendment would interfere with legal protections for all unmarried couples who live together.
The General Assembly, which is controlled by Republicans, voted during a special September legislative session to put the constitutional question on the 2012 primary ballot, scheduled to go to voters in May.
The state constitution does not give the governor veto power over constitutional amendments. But her position, political observers said, would be a powerful platform to fight the amendment should she choose to do so.
Asked if Perdue would campaign against the amendment, a spokeswoman said, “That’s not a question I can answer at this point. I think she would like to focus on creating jobs.”
Equality NC, a group campaigning against the amendment, welcomed the governor’s statement, saying she agrees with one of its main points against the measure.
“The first thing we need to do is let people know how much broader it is than the current law,” said Alex Miller, the group’s interim executive director.
Miller said the amendment would void same-sex partner benefits offered by employers and would interfere with domestic violence protections for unmarried couples living together.
Backers of the amendment dispute that notion, saying clarifying language added before the measure passed the General Assembly eliminates worries about private contracts.
“Clearly, the language of the marriage amendment is carefully worded so it will not hurt job creation,” said Tami Fitzgerald of the N.C. Values Coalition. “If Governor Perdue is really concerned about our state’s economy, why would she support destroying one of the main economic drivers for our state — the family — by refusing to join this effort to protect marriage in our constitution as the legal union of one man and one woman?”
Perdue did not cite any moral case against the measure, sticking to business points in a fashion that political observers say seems designed to walk a line between two camps: She could satisfy calls in the Democratic base that she take a stand against the measure without alienating conservative Democrats who might favor it.
“I understand what she did. But I think she would have been better off being clear and stronger,” said Gary Pearce, a former communications adviser to Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt.
Pearce argued that Perdue could have rallied support among liberal Democrats with a stronger stand while doing little damage to her re-election chances since the issue will likely be out of the headlines by the November general election.
Perdue has put off talking about her position in the past month when asked on camera or microphone, telling reporters she would have something to say later.
Her office released her position less than two hours before the close of business Friday.
“Friday afternoon is traditionally the time you put out something you don’t want people to pay any attention to,” Pearce said, adding that the idea of “taking out the trash” on Friday might be outdated in the Internet age.
Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark. binker@news-record.com
Accompanying Photos
Photo Caption: Gov. Bev Perdue
Search News-Record.com
closeSearch News & Record Article Archives
Not all of the newspaper's content appears online.
*There is a fee for downloading some older articles.
