CA-GOV: 2010 Republican Candidates Statements on Prop 8 Ruling

There have been dozens of statements and press reactions to the California Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8 today. Two statements that I am very interested in as a Californian voter were made by the leading Republican candidates for Governor.

Current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made the following statement about the Proposition 8 ruling today:

"While I believe that one day either the people or courts will recognize gay marriage, as governor of California I will uphold the decision of the California Supreme Court. Regarding the 18,000 marriages that took place prior to Proposition 8's passage, the court made the right decision in keeping them intact. I also want to encourage all those responding to today's court decision to do so peacefully and lawfully.

Meg Whitman, Republican candidate for governor, today issued the following statement on the California State Supreme Court Proposition 8 ruling:

"I believe the California State Supreme Court made the right decision. Last November, the people of California passed Proposition 8, and today the Court upheld their decision. This simple yet powerful fact is the foundation of our democracy. Regardless of one’s position on the measure, this ruling gives people confidence that their vote matters and can make a difference."

California Insurance Commissioner and Republican candidate for Governor Steve Poizner issued the following statement today:

"The California Supreme Court took the appropriate action today in upholding the will of the people by affirming Proposition 8. The people of California have spoken. They voted decisively that marriage should remain between a man and a woman. That is also my personal view.

"There was much more at stake today than even the issue of gay marriage, as important and emotional as it is for so many people on both sides of the issue. If the Court had overturned Proposition 8, it would have had set a terrible legal precedent, divided Californians even further, undermined support for the judiciary and state government itself while serving as a tremendous blow to the fundamental American concept of government of the people, by the people and for the people.

"Regardless of which way the Court ruled today, a particularly shameful element of this issue has been the Attorney General's unethical abandonment of his legal responsibility to the people of California. It is no surprise that Jerry Brown politicized and abused his latest position in an unprecedented way in order to play political catch-up with Gavin Newsom.

"As Governor, Brown opposed marriage for gay Californians. As a candidate for Attorney General, Jerry Brown refused to publicly support gay marriage. But once Gavin Newsom gained the upper hand on the issue with Democratic primary votes, Brown used his office as the state's lawyer to suddenly become an advocate of gay marriage and attempt to subvert the twice expressed will of the people of California. As he enters the fifth decade of his political career, Jerry Brown seems determined to go down in history as the man who was on more sides of more issues than any other California politician."

Note that Poizner attacks both Newsom and Brown for their position on marriage equality while ignoring Antonio Villaraigosa completely. (The Los Angeles Mayor's reaction is here.) It is very clear that the Governor's race in 2010 will be a proxy fight about marriage equality.