On Friday, the Illinois legislature ended its session, failing to pass a much-anticipated same-sex marriage bill.
The New York Times reports that the bill’s failure to reach a vote in the State House was apparently due to a lack of votes supporting the redefinition—despite a Democratic supermajority. President Obama, along with Governor Pat Quinn (D) and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel (D), urged passage of the bill.
Given such political winds, many had cast Illinois an easy “win” for advocates of redefining marriage. According to one news outlet, “The failure of the measure in Illinois interrupts that narrative.”
“The momentum has been stopped,” said David Smith of the Illinois Family Institute. “It shows that it’s not as popular with people as the national media is telling us.”
A bipartisan coalition opposed the effort. The House Black Caucus also expressed hesitancy on the bill and African American clergy were prominent in opposition. Legal scholars deemed the bill as the worst of its kind for failing to protect religious liberty.