NJ ernor ends gay marriage fight as upl wed | AP News

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie's cisn to stop fightg gay marriage New Jersey was pragmatic — same sex weddgs had already begun and a urt warned that the state would have ltle chance of overturng them. But the move also reflects Christie's bid to st himself as lear of a welg GOP as he seeks re-electn and ponrs a Whe Hoe bid. Friends and fo scribe the move simply as Christie beg Christie. The tell--like--is ernor is signalg that he won't be timidated by a vol nservative mory that ually wields great fluence Republin printial polics. And wh polil divisns epeng the Republin Party, Christie is bettg his polil future that the GOP and the natn ultimately would embrace an unapologetic promiser pable of attractg a broad aln of voters — as he's expected to do gubernatorial votg two weeks. There are clear risks. While natnal public opn is evolvg, Republins who oppose gay marriage tradnally domate GOP polics early-votg stat on the printial lendar such as Iowa and South Carola. "Abandong foundatnal prcipl that go beyond polics is not the way to get posive attentn South Carola," said Bob McAlister, a veteran South Carola-based Republin strategist, addg that Christie's latt move "is absolutely gog to hurt him." Christie remas personally opposed to gay marriage. He vetoed a bill approved by the legislature last year to legalize the practice. When a trial-level judge led last month that the state mt allow same-sex upl to wed, Christie appealed that lg to the state Supreme Court. The high urt agreed to take up the se but unanimoly refed to lay the start of gay weddgs the meantime, sayg the state had ltle chance of prevailg s appeal. And jt hours after gay upl began exchangg vows on Monday, Christie announced that he was whdrawg his appeal. The cisn mak New Jersey the 14th state to legalize gay marriage. Advisers to the ernor said that droppg the appeal, Christie stayed te to his prcipl. "Although the ernor strongly disagre wh the urt substutg s judgment for the nstutnal procs of the elected branch or a vote of the people, the urt has now spoken clearly as to their view of the New Jersey Constutn and, therefore, same-sex marriage is the law," Christie spokman Michael Drewniak said a statement. Some Republins wanted Christie to fight harr. He's much the same suatn as 2012 Republin printial nomee Mt Romney, who was ernor when the Massachetts Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage almost a ago. Romney, too, said he was forced to ply wh the le of law once was settled by the urts. But that wasn't enough to w over many skeptil nservativ. Their skepticism helped force a long and expensive primary fight agast former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santom, whose unrdog mpaign was largely fueled by his opposn to gay marriage and abortn. Rudy Giuliani, the former Republin printial ntenr and New York Cy mayor, also stggled to ga tractn 2008 after embracg abortn rights and legal benefs for same-sex upl. That same year, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, an ordaed Southern Baptist mister, won the Iowa uc ridg an aggrsive social nservative agenda. He later fizzled stat like New Hampshire, where morate Republins and pennts hold more sway. Republins across the polil spectm nce that public opn on same-sex marriage 2016 is likely to be dramatilly different than 2008 or even 2012. A CNN-ORC poll found June that 34 percent of Republins supported legal regnn of same sex marriage, a number that had jumped more than 10 pots om a year earlier. The poll found strong majori of pennts and Democrats favor as well. While nservative lears early votg stat lashed out at Christie's cisn, there are signs even social nservative strongholds that Christie's bet is a smart one. San Geds, an Iowa Republin activist and vout social nservative, says voters, cludg Republins, re far ls about opposg gay marriage than even 10 years ago. "You have to expla to people, people like me, that the rt of the world don't thk the way we do," said Geds, who served as a top mpaign nsultant to strict nservative Republin ndidat for the past several years. "That's upsettg for people. But if we want to have our party be effective, we have to accept opns like that." Ined, Iowa mastream Republins, led by Gov. Terry Branstad, are tryg to swell the ranks of more enomilly md nservativ, hop of creasg attendance at the Iowa GOP uc 2016. The uc have been flood by social nservativ who disproportnately oppose gay rights and abortn rights. David Kochel, who served as Romney's top Iowa strategist, me out favor of gay marriage earlier the year. "Opposg the eedom to marry is a loser for our party and serv to drive away a growg number of voters who have turned the page," he said Monday. A number of New Hampshire Republins, former Rep. Charlie Bass among them, also have e out favor of gay marriage, backed by Republin lears elsewhere such as Oh Sen. Rob Portman and former Vice Print Dick Cheney. In New Hampshire, where pennt voters are allowed to vote GOP primari, there is a sense that Christie's move uld actually help him a prospective printial bid. Ultimately, some strategists said 's unlikely that Christie's cisn on gay marriage will be a make-or-break issue. Many crics of his gay marriage policy didn't like him to beg wh, particularly sce his embrace of Print Barack Obama weeks before the last electn after Superstorm Sandy ravaged much of the East Coast. "He has fallen out of favor wh social nservativ around Iowa. But probably don't change anythg," said Darryl Kearney, GOP treasurer Polk County and a vout social nservative. "A big w his re-electn bid will help him make him a strong natnal ndidate, which will have a strong appeal Iowa, but not wh social nservativ." ___ Bemont reported om Cedar Rapids, Iowa.