Attorney General Tom Horne decided not to appeal the same-sex marriage ban in Arizona on Friday, and the candidates running for election this November have marked their positions on the ruling.
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, Republican gubernatorial candidate and current state treasurer Doug Ducey supports Horne’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
“Attorney General Horne made the right decision regarding an appeal,” Ducey said in a statement to the Phoenix Business Journal. “I accept the determination of the courts and will honor their decision.”
Running against Ducey is the Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred DuVal. He released a statement on his website applauding Horne’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage in Arizona.
“As Americans, our civil rights must never be denied,” DuVal said in the statement. “As Arizonans, we believe that liberty is a cause worth fighting for. This ruling sends an emphatic message that no one should be treated differently under the law because of who they are or who they love.”
DuVal also said that committed lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning couples planning to marry in Arizona should not have to worry about any political interference.
“Marriage equality is a just cause,” DuVal said in the statement, “and now is the time for families to celebrate their newfound freedom.”
Both the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor support Horne’s decision, but Gov. Jan Brewer does not agree with the ruling.
“It is not only disappointing, but also deeply troubling, that unelected federal judges can dictate the laws of individual states, create rights based on their personal policy preferences and supplant the will of the people in an area traditionally left to the states for more than 200 years,” Brewer said in a statement.
Arizona’s current representative and candidate in the 2nd Congressional District, Democrat Ron Barber, is in support of Horne’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
Barber released a statement that said the ruling is “a day that is long overdue,” and that he is proud Arizona has ruled for the right for each citizen to have the same rights and responsibilities he and his wife have shared.
“Love wins!” Barber tweeted. “Historic day in #Arizona as our fellow citizens now have the right to make a lifelong commitment to the person they love!”
Barber also went to the courthouses on Friday to celebrate newly wed same-sex couples.
Barber’s opponent, Republican candidate Martha McSally, has not yet responded to the court’s ruling.
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