On Feb. 13, the day that Washington legalized gay marriage, the seventh state to do so, Santorum visited on a campaign swing. And he didn’t mince words.
“I think it waters down marriage and I don’t think that’s what we need,” Santorum said in a meeting with state GOP lawmakers in Olympia. “We need to have a national consensus on this, a national debate. I believe we should move forward with a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.”
Santorum has said a constitutional amendment would invalidate the same-sex marriages already in effect.
But the former senator doesn’t just preach to the choir. After doing well (and eventually winning) the Iowa caucuses, where social conservatives dominate the GOP electorate, he went on to the more socially liberal New Hampshire. While appearing at a convention of college students in Concord, before that state’s Jan. 10 primary, he was booed after a lengthy exchange on gay marriage.
At one point, Santorum compared same-sex marriage to polygamy, according to ABC News.
“So anyone can marry anybody else? So if that’s the case, then everyone can marry several people … so you can be married to five people. Is that OK?” Santorum asked.
“Not what she’s asking!” a student yelled.
