News

McCain Endorses California Proposition 22 Knight Intitiative

Log Cabin Calls Statement "Misinformed" and "Disappointing"

February 24, 2000

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Senator John McCain (R-AZ) told reporters this morning that he would vote yes on California Proposition 22, the so-called Knight Initiative, which is on the California ballot on March 7.

McCain's comments came at a press conference where Mayor Susan Golding (R) of San Diego and a number of other California Republican activists and officials were announcing their endorsement of McCain for President. McCain said he would "vote yes" on the measure if he was a California voter, adding that "this is consistent with my position in opposition to same-sex marriage."

"We have a profound disagreement with Senator McCain on this issue, and it appears that he is misinformed on Proposition 22," said Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans. "Mayor Golding and a number of leading Republicans have the same position on same-sex marriage as Senator McCain, and they oppose Proposition 22. We wish he would have taken their lead on this divisive issue."

Proposition 22 seeks to limit the recognition of marriage in California to only those "between one man and one woman." California law already has this definition under existing law. The measure has been criticized by leading Republicans, including Congressman Tom Campbell (R-CA), the front-runner for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, as being unnecessary and gratuitous.

"Senator McCain's winning majorities until now have been made up of the kind of people who would oppose gratuitous gay-bashing," said Rich Tafel. "Furthermore, he stayed out of the divisive issue of the Confederate flag in South Carolina. I think this was a mistake, not reflective of the kind of majority he wants to build, and we hope he will address it further."