October 9, 2014 – Betsy Z. Russell – The Spokesman-Review –
BOISE – Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and his Democratic challenger, A.J. Balukoff, went head-to-head in a debate Thursday over same-sex marriage and gay rights. Otter said he’s upholding his oath of office to defend the state Constitution by continuing to defend the state’s ban on gay marriage.
Idaho isn’t anti-gay, Otter said. “Idaho is pro-traditional marriage, and I’m not going to do anything to put that in danger.” One person in the large audience applauded, and Otter joked, “Thank you, Mom.”
Balukoff said, “Discrimination is discrimination and it’s always wrong. When we take that oath of office to uphold the Constitution, that is not only the Idaho Constitution but the U.S. Constitution also. … No matter how many of our citizens vote to pass the law, we cannot pass a law that violates the United States Constitution. This is about discrimination, treating all people with fairness and respect. Regardless of what our belief may be, we still need to treat them equally.”