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Political consultant Elaine Franklin and her husband, former Sen. Bob Packwood, as seen at a 2011 memorial service for former Sen. Mark O. Hatfield.

(Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian)

Several prominent Republican figures joined Wednesday in announcing the formation of a new group supporting the

for the Oregon ballot in November.

The new group,

, includes several Republicans -- including former Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer and former Secretary of State Norma Paulus -- who came from the once-dominant wing of the state GOP. But there are also several figures, such as Stimson Lumber CEO Andrew Miller, who have been prominent backers of conservative Republicans.

Political consultant Elaine Franklin, the wife of former Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., and his former chief of staff, helped organize the group.

This group is "clearly fighting against the national brand" of the Republican Party being opposed to same-sex marriage, Franklin said. "But Oregon Republicans have done this before."

Franklin is now a non-affiliated voter, having left the party in 2002 in a dispute over the abortion issue. She said that she hopes the new group helps bring more support for the gay marriage measure from both Republicans and independents.

The group will hold a kick-off event at the Cerulean Wine Bar in Portland on Feb. 20 that will feature Jason Collins, the

who sat in First Lady Michelle Obama's box during the State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Other members of the new Oregon group include two Republican state representatives, Rep. Vicki Berger of Salem and Rep. Jim Thompson of Dallas, former New Zealand Ambassador Bill McCormick, former state Treasurer Bill Rutherford, and political consultant Doug Badger, who ran the Bush-Cheney campaign in Oregon in 2004. Packwood is also a member of the group.

This is not the first effort by prominent Oregon Republicans in support of the measure.

Portland political consultant Dan Lavey, a top aide to former Sen. Gordon Smith, and his wife, GOP fundraising consultant Lori Hardwick, formed a group to drum up support in the business community for the initiative.

The group leading the initiative campaign, Oregon United for Marriage, last week said it has gathered more than 127,000 signatures. The group needs 116,284 valid signatures to qualify and appears likely to be able to do so well before the July deadline.

In addition, a federal judge is

, and a decision in that case could come months before the November election.

-- Jeff Mapes