Senate Democrats push gay marriage vote to after midterms

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Senate Democrats have decided to push the vote to codify gay marriage via the Respect for Marriage Act until after the midterm elections in November, in hopes of garnering enough Republican support to ensure the bill's passage, The New York Times reports. Democrats had originally planned to vote on the bill this coming Monday.

"I'm still very confident that the bill will pass, but we will be taking the bill up later, after the election," said chief sponsor Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). Despite her comments, it's still a toss-up whether the bill will advance, considering it requires a bipartisan 60 votes. Some Republicans have raised concerns about how the legislation might affect religious institutions, business owners, and those who oppose same sex marriage, The Associated Press reports.

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Devika Rao, The Week US

 Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.