He believes his political thinking isn't so unique, noting that Gov. Olene Walker and Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, both Republicans, have expressed concerns about the marriage amendment.

"My biggest hope is that there is a way to attract many of the people who have come out, whose history is Republican," he said. "Our main thing is to have a positive impact on the party and help it be the kind of party it can be."

Perhaps it's telling that Scott McCoy, who heads the Don't Amend Alliance campaign against the amendment, is a Republican. McCoy said it's telling that Vice President Dick Cheney has said marriage should be a state issue, not a federal one, as President Bush has said.

"I feel better that Vice President Cheney is standing with me, that's for sure," McCoy said. "There are good compassionate conservatives out there who don't believe this is the way to go."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com