article_snippet.sent: And while that may not be enough to get him over this political hump, the very public debate that now embroils him — and Arkansas Gov.  
article_snippet.sent: Asa Hutchinson, and likely 14 other states considering similar proposals this year -- is more than enough to drag the entire Republican field farther to the right than the party had hoped.
article_snippet.sent: For there is no way a Republican can get through the pending primary without denouncing LGBT rights, which unfortunately will turn numerous Americans into single-issue voters.
article_snippet.sent: I foolishly hoped the issue of LGBT rights would be a bit player in the 2016 general election, overshadowed by foreign policy and the economy.
article_snippet.sent: "We stand with (George H.W. Bush) against the amoral idea that gay and lesbian couples should have the same standing in law as married men and women" and later followed with "There is a religious war going on in America.
article_snippet.sent: Progressives may enjoy watching Pence's temporary fall from grace, but (George H.W. Bush) policy rhetoric has echoed that of 2016 hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has indicated a federal ban on same-sex marriage is not off the GOP table.
article_snippet.sent: In light of that, listen to conservative former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a potential 2016 candidate describing  conservatives' discomfort with same-sex marriage:
article_snippet.sent: Or Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal
article_snippet.sent: : "I certainly will support Cruz and others that are talking about making ... a constitutional amendment to allow states to continue to define marriage.
article_snippet.sent: Or Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who has a long history of fighting against same-sex marriage and civil unions.
article_snippet.sent: And Ben Carson said jail turns people gay, so there's that.
article_snippet.sent: For it is doubtful that a candidate will be able to avoid taking a position on the wave of so-called "religious freedom" bills snaking through red-state legislatures.
article_snippet.sent: Or to sidestep the topic of a constitutional amendment when it's raised in a debate or at a campaign stop, especially with Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate.