(Washington) Senate Republicans are reportedly planning to force a vote on the proposed amendment to the US Constitution to ban same-sex marriage in mid-July, a move designed to put the heat on Democrats just before the party's convention in Boston.
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) the Republican Conference chairman and a leading supporter of the amendment, tells Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper that GOP leaders are not ready to announced a specific date, but confirmed they want a July vote.
"We are sort of running the traps on this right now and sort of seeing what kind of response we are getting," Santorum reportedly said Tuesday after a Republican policy lunch. "We are talking about it. I think there are a couple of meetings to be had yet before any official announcement is made."
Republicans see same-sex marriage as a wedge issue and are anxious to use it to solidify their base among conservative Christians. The party has held a series of hearings on the proposed amendment. But, until now there has not been enough support to pass it.
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