The decision to postpone the vote came after weeks of bipartisan negotiations where a small group of senators worked to assuage the concerns of Republican senators in an effort to convince them to support the legislation. However, negotiators were optimistic about the final passage of the bill. “I think we’re in very good shape and this bill will pass,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters. The Respect for Marriage Act would enshrine federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which recognizes marriage in the United States as between a man and a woman. But the prospect of a vote less than two months from the midterm elections, in which control of the Senate is at stake, has left some Republicans considering taking a stand on the legislation. “I guess that’s the reason for the delay,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Thursday. Collins and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) are working with Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (RN.C.) to find 10 Republican votes needed to pass. “My personal preference is to put everyone on the record before the November election, but I understand the decisions being made about when the best prospects are for passing the measure,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) . “I want a law, not just a bill.” Some Republicans said they were unwilling to support the bill unless it included tighter protections for religious freedom and a clarification that the law would not legalize polygamy. “We asked Leader Schumer for additional time and we appreciate that he agreed,” the bipartisan group said in a joint statement. “We are confident that when our legislation comes to the Senate floor for a vote, we will have the bipartisan support to pass the bill.” Two Republican senators in tight re-election battles should vote on the issue: Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Ron Johnson (Wis.). Johnson had said in a statement earlier this summer that he saw no reason to oppose the measure, but has since backtracked, saying this month he was concerned about religious protections. “They shouldn’t rush it. it’s not ready,” Johnson said Thursday. The negotiating team reached an agreement on how to address Republican concerns and circulated the new text Thursday afternoon to GOP lawmakers considering voting for the legislation. But ultimately, the group decided there wasn’t enough time in the days the legislative session ended before the midterms to advance a vote. It would have to be held next week to accommodate the other work the Senate needs to complete. “Until people had a chance to test the language, it was hard for them to give us a definitive answer,” Portman said. But Portman, who is retiring at the end of his term this year, acknowledged the bill would likely get more support from Republicans in the GOP caucus, when Republicans would not have to face voters. “It takes a lot of the political sting out of it,” he said. Support for same-sex marriage continues to grow, with a record 70 percent of respondents to a recent Gallup poll saying they support it. But the conservative base is less supportive, and Republicans are wary of suppressing their incentive to vote. Push to codify same-sex marriage becomes more urgent for liberals after Supreme Court reversal Roe v. Wade this summer, prompting Democrats to hold a vote on the issue and protect the right from future challenges. The House of Representatives passed the measure with the support of all Democrats and 47 Republicans in July. “We believe the Senate should find consensus just as the American people have,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said Thursday, without pressuring the Senate to act on a faster timeline.
