Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance opposes bill to protect gay, interracial marriage rights

U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance said Tuesday that he doesn't support federal legislation to codify protections for same-sex and interracial marriage, calling it a "bizarre distraction" from other issues.

The bill, which passed the U.S. House last month, would require federal recognition of all marriages as long as they were deemed valid in the state they were performed. It would also repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

Speaking to reporters at the Ohio State Fair, Vance characterized the bill as a solution in search of a problem.

"You have a sky-high inflation crisis, you have a huge recessionary problem, and we're arguing about rights that have already been granted by the Supreme Court," he said. "It seems like a bizarre distraction for a country that actually has much, much deeper and more serious crises."

Vance also argued that the proposal raises religious liberty concerns and doesn't balance marriage equality with the rights of churches or nonprofits to operate according to their values.

House Democrats pushed for a vote on the bill last month amid concerns about how the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade could affect other constitutional rights. Roe was grounded in the 14th Amendment's guarantee of due process, which also serves as the foundation of the landmark gay marriage ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

The case was named for lead plaintiff Jim Obergefell, a Sandusky native who is currently running for the Ohio House.

Vance's opponent, Rep. Tim Ryan, supported the bill along with four Ohio Republicans in the U.S. House. Vance's position also puts him at odds with the senator he hopes to replace.Republican Sen. Rob Portman plans to cosponsor the Senate version of the legislation.

Portman, who is retiring after this year, changed his stance on same-sex marriage after his son came out as gay.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Senate race: JD Vance opposes Respect for Marriage Act