Walker backs marriage measure

Gov. Olene Walker said Thursday she now supports the anti-gay marriage amendment and warned that it would be "most unfortunate" if Utahns didn't follow her lead.

Walker had said in August that she hadn't made up her mind about Amendment 3, which will be on the Nov. 2 ballot, and raised questions then about the impact of the proposal's second part, which would forbid granting "the same or substantially equivalent legal effect" as marriage to other relationships.

But Thursday, at a news conference called to announce her opposition to another ballot issue, the governor said she is supporting the amendment to the state constitution despite those misgivings.

"My choice would have been to just have one line. That isn't an option," Walker said, referring to the first part of the amendment, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. That definition is already spelled out in state law.

The governor suggested there might be time to come up with better wording for the amendment if this were an issue confined to Utah. However, she said a recent court decision in Massachusetts that opened the door for gay marriages has made this a national issue.

"It will be most unfortunate if Utah didn't pass Amendment 3," she said. "At this time, I am supporting Amendment 3."

A new Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll shows Walker's support for the measure is in line with the majority of Utah voters. Sixty-four percent of those polled said they intended to vote for the amendment.

The poll does show weaker support for the amendment's second sentence than its first line. While 71 percent of voters said they "strongly support" the amendment's first sentence, only 46 percent showed that level of support for its second part.

Walker downplayed the potential cost to the state of a legal battle over the amendment. Opponents are expected to take the state to court over the potential effect the amendment could have on the legal rights of same-sex partners.

The governor said that she has been told the Attorney General's Office would handle the state's defense to avoid the cost of hiring outside legal counsel. "Certainly, that's not as significant" an expense, she said.

Susan Roylance, president of Yes! for Marriage, a group campaigning for the amendment, said Walker's endorsement is definitely a positive one, even though it shows some reservation.

"That's one thing for sure, Olene is a trustable person," Roylance said. "She does what she believes is right. People know that."

Roylance said she did see the endorsement coming since Walker had said on the radio last month that she'd probably vote for the amendment, though she still had concerns about the second part.