The mayor of Minneapolis is courting gay couples in Chicago to get married in his city. (WGN-TV) 
 
 Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak plans to travel to Chicago today to unveil a print and digital ad campaign inviting gay couples to marry in his city in the wake of a new Minnesota law that opens the doors to such unions. 
 
 
 
 His announcement will be made at the Center on Halsted, a community center in Lakeview, the city's most high-profile gay neighborhood. It comes just three months after an attempt to bring gay marriage to Illinois died in the legislature. 
 
 
 
 The ad campaign will be in partnership with Meet Minneapolis, Convention and Visitors Association, and is aimed at boosting tourism there. Same-sex weddings represent a potentially lucrative piece of business. The Williams Institute, which does research on sexual orientation and gender identity, estimated this year that legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois could spur as much as $103 million in wedding and tourism spending over three years. 
 
 
 
 The campaign comes at a time when Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Choose Chicago, the city's non-profit tourism organization, are attempting to increase tourism here. 
 
 Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement: "Thirteen states have extended marriage to all loving, committed couples – but Illinois has not. That is bad for Chicago, bad for Illinois, and bad for our local economy and the jobs it creates.” 
 
 
 
 The city’s tourism and hospitality industries will thrive most fully when Illinois “hangs out the 'welcome' sign for everybody," he said. 
 
 Gay marriage became legal in Minnesota on Aug. 1. 
 
 
 
 kbergen@tribune.com | Twitter: @kathy_bergen ||||| AUSTIN — Republicans running for the state’s top jobs have united against a San Antonio measure to protect gays, an early sign of the candidates’ efforts to showcase their conservative credentials, even on local disputes. 
 
 The uproar over the nondiscrimination ordinance also could portend a political season — especially if Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis runs for governor — in which abortion, gay rights and other contentious social issues form the nucleus of debate. 
 
 As for “good primary politics in Texas, this is kind of a no-brainer,” said GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak. “None of these statewide Republican candidates wants to be perceived as not standing with social conservatives. You have to be right there.” 
 
 At issue is a San Antonio proposal — which the City Council will take up Thursday — that would protect gays from housing and job discrimination. 
 
 It has prompted an outcry from Attorney General Greg Abbott, running for governor; two of the lieutenant governor candidates; and all three of the attorney general contenders. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz also has joined the opposition. 
 
 Virtually identical ordinances have passed in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and El Paso without notice from state officials. 
 
 Abbott, as have his fellow Republicans, said the proposal would impinge on religious freedoms. Critics also say liberals are trying to impose a value system that many Texans oppose. 
 
 Abbott warned Mayor Julián Castro in a letter Wednesday that adopting the ordinance will “trample” religious freedom. He said it “will likely envelop the city in costly litigation.” 
 
 He said that similar ordinances in other states have prompted lawsuits by religious business owners who refused to provide wedding cakes or flowers at same-sex weddings. 
 
 “The city should scrap this proposed ordinance,” Abbott said. 
 
 Backers say the ordinance is about providing equal protection to all groups. It would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the city’s nondiscrimination code. Advocates say it does not infringe on religious beliefs. 
 
 Castro told The Associated Press that he was disappointed at the objections. He called it an “overdue” ordinance. 
 
 “These days, unfortunately, it’s campaign season,” Castro said. “What else would you expect?” 
 
 Contested primaries 
 
 It’s rare for statewide candidates to enter a fight over a city ordinance. But all of the high-profile statewide jobs are in contention this time. Once one candidate came out against it, the others didn’t want to pale by contrast, Mackowiak said. 
 
 He added that the Republicans office-seekers all probably believe the ordinance is overly broad and flawed. 
 
 “Usually a city ordinance doesn’t break through,” he said. “But primaries are fought on the edges, and that’s where this issue is.” 
 
 Chuck Smith, director of gay rights advocacy group Equality Texas, chided the candidates for wading into the local ordinance tussle. 
 
 He said a majority of Texans agree that no one should be fired from a job, lose an apartment or be kicked out of a restaurant because they are gay or transgender. 
 
 But in the throes of a crowded election, he said, “this is a broad-scale exercise in pandering” to the political base. 
 
 Many ordinance opponents say it could prevent people of faith from condemning homosexuality. 
 
 But the ordinance, which would levy a $500 fine and bar offenders from city commissions, does include exemptions for religious organizations and those expressing their beliefs. 
 
 Once concerns about religious freedoms are stripped away, there’s not that much support for discrimination because of someone’s sexual orientation, Smith said. “That is not a widely held Texas value,” he said. 
 
 Recent independent polling has indicated that a large majority of Texans say employers should not be allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. 
 
 But in those surveys, most Texans, especially Republicans, say they oppose gay marriage. 
 
 Appeal to party’s base 
 
 University of Texas at Arlington political science professor Allan Saxe said the maneuvering among Republicans is not surprising. 
 
 “It ain’t going to hurt them by any means.” 
 
 Emotional issues appeal to core voting constituencies and “really drive the base,” he said. 
 
 As for Democrats, Saxe noted that Davis, the Fort Worth senator, gained national fame after her filibuster against an abortion bill that eventually passed. She’s considering a run for governor, and that issue will stick with her. 
 
 “It’s a big election year. Abortion is in the air. And gay rights is another big one,” he said. 
 
 Davis is trying to extend her message to health care, transportation, veterans and other issues. But if it hadn’t been for abortion, “everybody would be yawning” at the prospect of her candidacy, Saxe said. 
 
 Follow Christy Hoppe on Twitter at @christyhoppe. 
 
 AT A GLANCE: San Antonio proposal 
 
 What’s at stake: The San Antonio City Council is expected to vote Thursday on an ordinance that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 
 
 Action in other cities: Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, Austin and El Paso have ordinances making it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation. Nearly 180 cities nationwide have adopted similar protections. 
 
 From wire reports
– Gay marriage still isn't legal in Illinois, and Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak is making a boldfaced attempt to take advantage of that. Rybak is headed to Chicago today to announce a new ad campaign urging gay Windy City residents to cross the border and get hitched. Rybak will hold the event in Lakeview, the city's most prominent gay neighborhood, the Chicago Tribune reports. In other gay rights news: The Department of Veteran Affairs has announced that it will begin providing benefits to same-sex couples, ignoring a federal law limiting benefits to spouses "of the opposite sex," the New York Times reports. In a letter to Congress, Eric Holder explained that the Obama administration would no longer enforce the law, thanks to the Supreme Court ruling marking such discrimination as unconstitutional. Top Texas Republicans are battling a proposed San Antonio law that would make it illegal to discriminate against gay people in housing and hiring decisions, the Dallas Morning News reports. As "good primary politics in Texas, this is kind of a no-brainer," one GOP consultant said. Gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott, for instance, says the ordinance would "trample" religious freedom. For more on battle over gay rights in Texas, Mississippi, and New Mexico, click here.