Northeast lawmakers tend to support same-sex marriage more than their counterparts. Gay-rights scorecard for Congress

The pro-gay rights Human Rights Campaign is set to add a new category to its congressional scorecard — gay marriage.

The group, which in the past has taken note of where House and Senate members stand on issues like protection from bullying and workplace discrimination, will now keep track of where lawmakers stand on an issue that has seen a rapid change in public opinion polling in the past few years.


The scorecard will be released this week — coincidentally the same week the U.S. Supreme Court turned down seven petitions seeking a determination as to whether people have a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

( Also on POLITICO: SCOTUS allows for gay marriage in several states)

Monday’s ruling will likely mean as many as 30 states will have legalized gay marriage, up from the current 19. And the scorecard will show that while there has been a sweeping change in pro-gay marriage lawmakers, it has come almost entirely among Democrats.

“Monday’s action by the Supreme Court is further evidence of the country’s continuing march toward full marriage equality for LGBT Americans,” said Fred Sainz, a top spokesman for the Human Rights campaign. “Unfortunately, many members of Congress stubbornly remain on the wrong side of history, an overwhelming majority of whom are Republicans. Today, 52 percent of Americans live in a state with marriage equality, while only eight — eight — Republicans in Congress publicly support the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love.”

There are only eight Republicans — four in the House and four in the Senate — who back same-sex marriage. That’s a change from just one Republican in the last Congress. According to the HRC, 90 percent of House Democrats and 95 percent of Senate Democrats — 52 senators — now support it. That’s up to 45 percent of the overall members of Congress, compared to 33 percent in the last Congress.

( Also on POLITICO: GOP hopeful: 'A proud gay American')

When tracked by region, Northeast lawmakers tend to support same-sex marriage more than their counterparts from other parts of the country. Yet, there is strength in all different regions among their Democratic representatives in Congress, showing the massive change in the issue.

As of now, the polls are ahead of where the Republican Party’s lawmakers are on the issue. A majority of people polled in almost every national survey shows support for gay marriage has moved swiftly. But the party’s base remains firmly opposed to same-sex marriage.

And the scorecard is another way to hit a pressure point and highlight for voters where their representatives stand.