It seems that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's son, Alex Walker (photo below), was a witness at a same-sex wedding. One of the brides is the cousin (Shelli Marquardt) of Walker's wife. This might explain why although the Governor has been a long-time foe of marriage equality, he has seemed surprisingly silent about his views since Judge Crabb ruled Wisconsin's same-sex marriage ban(s) unconstitutional. The ladies were married during the window in which same-sex couples were allowed to marry in Wisconsin (June 9).
From The Advocate:
Alex Walker, 19, was a witness at the wedding of Shelli Marquardt and Cathy Priem at the Waukesha County Courthouse, located in a suburb of Milwaukee, June 9, reports the Milwaukee Jounal Sentinel. Alex Walker signed his name on the couple’s marriage certificate as one of two adult witnesses to their union. Marquardt is a cousin of Scott Walker’s wife, Tonette.
Lauren Patrick, a spokeswoman for the governor, confirmed to the paper that the younger Walker attended the ceremony. “Shelli Marquardt is the first lady’s cousin,” Patrick said in a statement. “She is a part of the Walker family who they dearly love.” Marquardt and Priem are on the guest list for an Independence Day celebration at the governor’s mansion Sunday, the Journal Sentinel reports.
Last November he [Scott Walker] told BuzzFeed that Alex and his older brother, Matt, have said perhaps government should get out of the marriage business. He called that “a solid argument” although he “personally may not embrace that yet.” And in a Meet the Press appearance earlier in 2013, he quickly changed the subject when the conversation turned to marriage equality.
Last month, I reported that
even 59% of young Republicans support marriage equality. The GOP is losing ground on this issue quickly. This is just one more of the many reasons (Hobby Lobby, Voting Rights, Immigration Reform) that Republicans may not do as well in the mid-term elections this November as the mainstream media keeps insisting they will do. A late May poll showed Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker tied with challenger Mary Burke (46-46) in that state's governor's race. And, also in May, a Marquette University poll found that support for marriage equality in Wisconsin is at fifty-five percent.