Stories

In a pair of votes that hit close to home for Iowa, voters in Maine repealed the state’s law allowing same-sex couples to get married while also voting to expand the state’s medical marijuana law.
Both issues are big topics in the Hawkeye State. The Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in April, and since that [...]

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rod Roberts of Carroll supports the ouster of three Iowa Supreme Court justices that are up for retention votes in 2010 due to their verdict legalizing same-sex marriage earlier this year.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats has renewed his promise to end same-sex marriage with an executive order, even if it means facing impeachment.

Appearing on the show of controversial Christian radio host Steve Deace, Vander Plaats once again said if elected governor in 2010 he would issue an executive order stopping same-sex marriage until the [...]

Controversial radio host Steve Deace is the focus of a new YouTube video put together Iowa’s largest gay rights group with the hope it will help raise awareness of “attempts by extremists to undermine the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in favor of the freedom to marry.”
Justin Uebelhor, communications director of One Iowa, said the video [...]

In what might be the first shot of the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary, Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats criticized state Rep. Christopher Rants for his stance on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
In a statement to the media, Vander Plaats said if elected he would sign an executive order banning same-sex marriages as part [...]

Former Vice President Dick Cheney once again reiterated his support for same-sex marriage, as long as it’s handled at the state level.
Cheney was asked about recent rulings and legislative action legalizing same-sex marriage, specifically in Iowa, at the National Press Club for the Gerald R. Ford Foundation journalism awards. His response was “I think that [...]

A recent guest column by Republican Rep. Steve King in The Des Moines Register has drawn the ire of a leader of Iowa’s social conservative movement, and even raised the specter of a primary.

First-term Democratic state Rep. Larry Marek thinks the best way he can represent his district is to support a vote on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, reports the Lone Tree Reporter (circulation 647).

Leaders of Iowa’s Republican Party are taking heat from social conservatives for a perceived lack of action on the Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
Conservatives contend that leadership in the state senate did not push as hard as Republicans in the state house to overturn the court’s decision.

Despite efforts by a Republican state senator and several conservative groups to convince county recorders to ignore the Iowa Supreme Court and refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, so far local officials have followed the law without incident.