Marriage activists back Vander Plaats

DES MOINES -- A leading Iowa social conservative group Tuesday endorsed Bob Vander Plaats for governor and served notice it will not support former Gov. Terry Branstad if he is the Republican nominee.

Iowa Christian conservatives are going "all in" to support Vander Plaats, a Sioux City Republican who shares their moral principles, former Rep. Danny Carroll said at a Capitol rally of supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. He predicted the result will be similar to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's surprise victory in the 2008 Republican precinct caucuses.

Although other Republican gubernatorial hopefuls also oppose same-sex marriage, Vander Plaats, a Sioux City Republican, will "boldly" address the values embraced by the Iowa Family Policy Center and its political action committee, Carroll said.

He counts Branstad as a friend, Carroll said, but the four-term governor "has been found caught up short." He bases that, in part, on Branstad's comment that he welcomed the support of his former lieutenant governor, Joy Corning, who is a leader of One Iowa, which supports same-sex marriage.

Branstad's campaign issued a reminder that he was the governor who signed the Defense of Marriage Act.

"He has been clear in his support to define marriage as between one man and one woman, and will work to give Iowans the opportunity to vote on this issue," Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht said.

Several hundred people joined the outdoor rally organized by LUV -- Let Us Vote -- to call for a constitutional amendment to overturn the April decision by the Iowa Supreme Court striking down Iowa's ban on same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage supporters also turned out in force Tuesday and promised to deliver 18,000 petition postcards to legislators asking them to reject a constitutional amendment to deny protections to gay and lesbian families, said One Iowa Executive Director Carolyn Jenison.