Governor Henry McMaster Says He Supports Ending Marriage Equality During Gubernatorial Debate

At last night’s debate between Governor Henry McMaster and Democratic challenger Joe Cunningham, Governor McMaster said he opposed marriage equality and if the decision came back to the states, he would like to see it go back to being illegal in South Carolina. 

Both candidates were asked what they would do if the Supreme Court overturns Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage across the country.

In response to this question, Governor McMaster said, “Under our State Constitution, gay marriage is not allowed and under our state law it is not allowed. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I think marriage ought to be between a man and a woman…You have to have some kind of common sense in this arena that seems to be changing all the time, but I think that our traditions are strong and they’re there for a reason.”

When he was given the opportunity to clarify his statement, he doubled down on this outdated belief that “Marriage is a special institution between a man and a woman.”

Same-sex marriage is broadly popular across the country – 71% of Americans support marriage equality, including 55% of Republicans.

Cunningham called out Governor McMaster for his archaic beliefs and made clear that he unequivocally supports marriage equality.

“Governor McMaster has been leading South Carolina into the 1950s since the 1980s,” Cunningham said. “Folks, this campaign we’re running is a campaign run on freedom. I don’t care who you are or who you love, I don’t think it’s government’s role to get in the middle of that and I don’t think it’s politicians’ role to rip away freedoms from people.”

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