Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, who made headlines in March when he tearfully announced he wouldn’t defend his state’s gay marriage ban in an appeal of a federal court’s ruling, has thrown his hat into the 2015 governor’s race.
In an interview with the AP, Conway said he isn't concerned that his pro-equality stance may hurt his chances in the conservative state. As public opinion continues to shift in favor of gay marriage, Conway said Kentucky voters will tire of rehashing the debate come November 2015.
"I think in the fall of 2015 that will not be the big issue," he said. "I think the voters will be more interested in building Kentucky's future than in reliving all of that."
Conway’s refusal to defend the ban led to Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear hiring private attorneys to appeal the gay marriage ruling. Yesterday, those attorneys filed an 'offensive' brief arguing that the state’s ban should be maintained because gay marriage threatens birth rates, and thus economic competitiveness, in Kentucky.
