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Last updated on Wednesday, May 7, 2014
(UNDATED) - Republican opponents of a constitutional ban on gay marriage paid a price in Indiana’s primary.
Representatives Rebecca Kubacki (R-Syracuse) and Kathy Heuer (R-Columbia City) lost handily to Curt Nisly and Chris Judy, after voting against the amendment.
The lawmakers' change of heart was far from the only issue. Nisly had entered the race before the amendment came to a vote. Both he and Judy campaigned against the Common Core curriculum standards, and both enjoyed union support. But the contests were the first ballot-box test of opponents' claims that public opinion has turned against the ban.
Two key supporters of the amendment won easily. Cicero Representative Eric Turner, the amendment's author, collected 59-percent of the vote, a week after the House Ethics Committee cleared Turner of any rules violations in connection with a nursing-home moratorium bill.
House Elections Chairman Milo Smith (R-Columbus), who shepherded the amendment to the floor after it stalled in another committee, posted an identical victory margin. Only Carmel Representative Jerry Torr bucked the trend, posting an 63-to-37-percent win despite being the first Republican to announce he'd switch his vote.
A third incumbent, Senator John Waterman (R-Shelburn), lost to Eric Bassler in a race focused on business issues.
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