Black Female Senator Holds Deciding Vote On Marriage?

State Senator Joan Carter Conway (D)

As regular readers of this blog know, Maryland is currently engaging in a legislative debate about expanding civil marriage rights to same-sex couples. State Senator Joan Carter Conway, an African-American woman who represents the Baltimore area has emerged as the likely 24th (and deciding) vote to legalize marriage equality in the great state of Maryland.

Rod 2.0 reports:

The deciding vote: Joan Carter Conway, a veteran Baltimore Democrat.

In interviews Monday, two more senators said they intended to vote for the bill, increasing the number who have made such commitments to 24 - the bare majority needed for passage in the 47-member Senate - according to an ongoing Washington Post tally.  The Post's count of 24 senators includes one - Joan Carter Conway (D-Baltimore) - who has said she will not vote for the bill if she believes it will fail. Conway told The Post last week that she "would pray real hard" and vote for the bill if hers was the deciding vote. Still, it is clear that the legislation, which has stalled in previous years, has considerable momentum.

The Baltimore Sun has a tally of publicly announced Senator's positions on the legislation, which will face its first committee votes on Thursday February 17th and a full Senate floor vote on Tuesday February 22nd.

For (23)
Sen. James Brochin, Baltimore County Democrat
Sen. Bill Ferguson, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Jennie Forehand, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Brian Frosh, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Rob Garagiola, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Lisa Gladden, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Verna Jones, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, Baltimore and Howard counties Democrat
Sen. Delores Kelley, Baltimore County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Nancy King, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, Howard County Republican
Sen. Katherine Klausmeier, Baltimore County Democrat
Sen. Richard Madaleno, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Roger Manno, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Nathaniel McFadden, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Karen Montgomery, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Paul Pinsky, Prince George's County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Catherine E. Pugh, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Victor Ramirez, Prince George's County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Jamie Raskin, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. James Robey, Howard County Democrat
Sen. Ronald Young, Frederick County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore County Democrat (sponsor)


No public position/Undecided
Sen. John Astle, Anne Arundel County Democrat
Sen. James Brochin, Baltimore County Democrat (supports)
Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Baltimore Democrat
Sen. Ulysses Currie, Prince George's County Democrat
Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, Baltimore and Howard counties Democrat (supports)
Sen. Katherine Klausmeier, Baltimore County Democrat (supports)
Sen. James Rosapepe, Prince George's County Democrat

If any one of the twenty-three seators in the "For" column actually votes against the measure then Sen. Conway may vote against the legislation, fearing it would fail? This is such an insupportable position! Either one thinks marriage should be between two people regardless of gender or you don't! I hope that Sen. Conway discovers that as she "pray[s] real hard" that it is not okay to vote to discriminate against any other group of people, especially as a "double minority" herself.

I must say that it is pretty shocking that in such a Democrat-dominated state that this is even an issue. Already Maryland will recognize marriages from other states, this is about giving that same opportunity to Marylanders to not have to leave the state to get married.

Also, when the Governor O;Malley signs the marriage bill into law, the National Organization for Marriage will do all it can to try to overturn the measure at the ballot in 2012, so this is really just a skirmish in the war for marriage equality.