Brownback and Davis appear at their final debate, hosted by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters.Republican Governor Sam Brownback and Democratic challenger Paul Davis disagree on the role of politicians in a battle over same sex marriage in Kansas. The comments came during a debate this week in Wichita. Davis says he originally opposed the state’s same sex marriage ban because it creates an unwelcoming image for Kansas. He says the issue will be handled by the courts.
“The fact of the matter is this issue is out of the hands of politicians. There's nothing that I can do, there's nothing that Governor Brownback can do to change this issue. The courts will decide it,” says Davis.
Brownback disagrees, saying Kansas should defend the state’s constitutional ban on same sex marriage.
“in some places the governor, the attorney general has decided ‘well, we’re not going to defend the Constitution,’ even though that’s the way the people have spoken. Attorney General Derek Schmidt stood up to say we will defend the Kansas Constitution. I’ve stood behind him,” says Brownback.
LGBT advocates say same sex couples should be allowed to marry now in Kansas, because they believe the state is all but guaranteed to lose a legal challenge. They point to court rulings that found similar bans on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.