The Associated Press is reporting that Moorhead-area state senator Kent Eken (DFL-Twin Valley) will vote for the Dibble bill to extend the freedom to marry for all loving couples.
Eken's decision is a significant development for two reasons. First, Eken was one of four senate democrats who voted in March for a parliamentary maneuver intended to stall the marriage reform. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reported in Senate Republicans try to block same-sex marriage bill:
The day after legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota cleared two committees, Senate Republicans tried to derail the measure with some parliamentary maneuvering.They failed to stop the bill's progress but tried to use it to put some pressure on some rural Democrats.
Republicans have previously said that rural Democrats will have a tough time voting for the bill, when a majority of their constituents oppose same-sex marriage.
DFL Senators Kent Eken of Twin Valley, Lyle Koenen of Clara City, Leroy Stumpf of Plummer and Dan Sparks of Austin joined Republicans in opposition to the adoption. Another DFLer, Sen. Rod Skoe of Clearbrook, did not take the bait. Skoe said he disagreed with Hann's characterization of what the vote meant.
Second, the move suggests that Minnesota for Marriage's strategy to demonize the effort to extend the freedom to marry as an epic "metro" versus "rural" battle isn't working.
Indeed, one of M4M's targets, freshman senator Vicki Jensen (DFL-Owatonna) told Briana Bierschbach at PIM:
Vicki Jensen says she has been honest with her constituents from the start. The freshman senator from Owatonna is the first Democrat to represent the area in several decades, and her Senate District 24 voted 56 percent in favor of the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage last fall. But Jensen plans to vote in favor of a bill to legalize gay marriage this session.
“I was clear with my constituents on the campaign trail, and I’ve been clear with them throughout the session. This is the most important vote I will take all year,” Jensen said. “I have to vote with what I think is right.” . . .
Has M4M gotten a single additional commitment from a rural DFLer to vote no since launching its tour? Not that we've heard. Perhaps Minnesota Republicans United for Freedom could offer to pay for visits to key suburban districts held by Republicans.
That might help create the margin for clear passage of the marriage equality bills.
Photo: Senator Kent Eken will say yes to marriage equality.
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