Hillary Clinton, who has lagged many leaders of her party on the issue of gay marriage, has now called upon the U.S. Supreme Court to "come down on the side of same-sex couples being guaranteed that constitutional right.”
In her 2008 bid for the White House, Clinton had declared herself an opponent of gay marriage -- as did then-Sen. Barack Obama.
As president, Obama came out in favor of gay marriage in May, 2012. Clinton did so a year later, in May, 2013. At that time, Clinton said she felt free to speak out, because she had left "public office" -- her post as Obama's secretary of state. It was unclear why she had felt constrained, given how many other officeholders and senior government officials had already declared their support for same-sex unions.
Clinton, however, has long enjoyed strong backing among gay-rights advocates, and the video announcing her presidential campaign featured a same-sex couple talking about their wedding plans.
One of Clinton’s potential Democratic rivals, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), has repeatedly taken none-too-veiled jabs at Clinton on the issue as he’s traveled to early nominating states. In his speeches, O’Malley doesn't mention Clinton by name but tells audiences that same-sex marriage should be a “human right” and not left to the states.
On Wednesday afternoon, O'Malley's political team released a short video highlighting his position that included a clip from a recent speech in which he said "history celebrates profiles in courage, not profiles in convenience."
O’Malley led Maryland’s efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in 2012. Like many Democratic politicians, he, too, has evolved on the issue. Earlier in his political career, O’Malley was a supporter of civil unions.
John Wagner contributed to this report.