Republican Senate Candidate Backs Same-Sex Marriage

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Crawley announced today that he supports gay marriage.

"The State should not be in the business of marriage at all," Crawley says in a press release. "In a civil as opposed to a religious context, marriage should mainly be seen as a contractual arrangement between consenting adults. But as long as the State has the authority to grant or deny marital status, it should be obliged to do so without discrimination."

The Portland attorney will likely run against at least three other Republican candidates in the primary – at least one of them a serious contender to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon).

House member Jason Conger (R-Bend) is expected to file before the deadline next Tuesday. According to his campaign website, "Jason believes marriage has always been, and should remain, between a man and a woman."

It's a crowded field.

Portland doctor Monica Webhy is running a campaign. Mark Callahan, an information technology consultant in Salem and Joe Rae Perkins, a Realtor from Albany have both filed for office. WW reported this morning that another GOP candidate in the primary, William Bryk, lives in Brooklyn—the New York City borough.

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