Move past same-sex marriage

By Jeff Angelo

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The special election for Senate District 18 in the Cedar Rapids area did not go the way that Republicans such as I were hoping it would. We had an opportunity to elect a state senator who favors sound business policy and limited government spending. It was a missed opportunity that provides a valuable lesson that I hope Iowa Republicans will not forget before next November: We do not win elections based on opposition to same-sex marriage.

I hope this is a lesson that Republicans are finally ready to accept because the stakes are too high. If we want to have a Republican legislature that can control our state's spending and pass job-stimulating legislation, we must first win at the ballot box. Swing voters do not show up on Election Day and make their decision based on same-sex marriage. Many Iowans believe that this issue is settled Iowa law and not a priority for our lawmakers to spend time discussing.

Additionally, every day, more and more Iowans are coming to believe that civil marriage equality is the right thing for Iowa. I continue to hear from Republicans in Iowa who believe that the freedom of civil marriage is in line with their beliefs of limited government and freedom.

Marriage equality is also a good thing for our economy, according to a report issued last week by the Williams Institute. In the year following the Varnum decision by the Iowa Supreme Court, the state saw an additional $12 million to $13 million in spending on same-sex weddings, which means an additional $850,000 to $930,000 in revenue for local and state government. That translates to real revenues for government coffers and helps give our economy a boost.

It's clear that we need to move past this issue and focus our energy and efforts on the task at hand: reigning in government spending and growing our economy. Senate Republicans have a new leader, and this gives us an opportunity to have a new direction and return our focus to the issues that are important to Iowans - the budget and economy. My friend, Sen. Jerry Behn, the new Republican Senate leader, has stated that his focus will be those issues and I was happy to hear that. One test he may have as a leader, though, is to convince the rest of his caucus to follow his lead during the 2012 legislative session.

More important, I hope Leader Behn will take this strategy straight to the ballot box next November and lead Senate Republican candidates to focus on the economy.

Former state Sen. Jeff Angelo is chair of Iowa Republicans for Freedom, which supports individual liberty for same-sex couples seeking civil marriage recognition from our government. Comments: http://iowarepublicans

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