The GOP is returning to its core values — and that's good for our party and good for America. Republicans increasingly recognize that the freedom to marry is consistent with our belief in limited government and individual freedom.
To date, 206 Republican state legislators across the nation have stood up for the freedom to marry; just last week, 130 Republican leaders signed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to follow precedent and recognize the constitutional guarantee that freedom really means freedom for everyone.
Across the country, thoughtful Republicans are adding their voices to the call for freedom, and courageous Minnesota State Sen. Branden Petersen, R-Andover, is the latest example.
Petersen is a true conservative leader. His priorities are balancing the state budget, cutting and simplifying taxes, and reforming education to put the needs of kids ahead of the unions. Petersen was one of only six members of the Minnesota House of Representatives to earn a 100 percent rating from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce in 2011, and was selected as one of 2012's "Best Friends of the Taxpayer" by the Taxpayers League of Minnesota.
In addition to these impressive accolades, Petersen has been described as one of the most conservative legislators to ever represent his district.
He also made headlines recently for cosponsoring a bill to extend the freedom to marry to same-sex couples in the North Star State.
Despite his conservative record, Petersen has come under fire from the so-called National Organization for Marriage (NOM), which inappropriately threatened to spend $500,000 to end his career — or that of any other disobedient Republican. But Petersen is standing on his conservative principles and not backing down.
"Regardless of the amount," he told reporters, "whether it's $500,000 or $50 million, my vote is not going to be bought either way. I'm going to do what's right."