(Washington) The architect of two failed attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage was defeated in her bid for re-election on Tuesday. 

Markey becomes the first Democrat in two generations to represent Northern Colorado in Congress. Her campaign received large cash infusions from gays and lesbians across the country.

In July, Musgrave said that if she were re-elected she would support a new bid to advance the federal anti-gay measure.

Musgrave introduced constitutional amendments in 2003 and 2006 while Republicans still controlled Congress. Nevertheless both attempts failed to get the support needed to advance.

The proposed amendment said that “marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither the Constitution, nor the constitution of any state, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.”

To amend the Constitution a two-thirds majority is required in both houses of Congress to send an amendment to the states. It then would have to be ratified by at least 38 state legislatures.

The U.S. Constitution has been amended only 27 times, including the 10 amendments of the Bill of Rights.

When Musgrave said she would support a third attempt to move forward the proposed amendment Markey jumped on it accusing Musgrave of dredging up issues that divide people rather than focusing on issues that affect everyone in the district like the economy.

In the state of Washington, Gov. Chris Gregoire (R) beat Republican Dino Rossi in a rematch of their historically close 2004 election.

Gregoire, a former state attorney general, also emerged the victor against Rossi in their 2004 contest by the closest percentage margin of any governor’s race in U.S. history – just 133 votes out of about 2.8 million cast, after two recounts and an unsuccessful Republican court challenge.

She has been a longtime supporter of LGBT rights.

In March, Gregoire signed legislation expanding the state’s domestic partnership law to provide for more than 170 additional rights and responsibilities which married couples in the state already had.

The law went into effect in May. It made domestic partnerships equal to marriage in areas of community property, guardianship and powers of attorney. It allows partners the right to refuse to testify against partners in court. And it provides the same remedies as married couples have in ending a relationship including the division of property.

But while the bill covers 170 state laws governing marriage it does not affect federal laws which do not recognize same-sex relationships.

The original domestic partner law was enacted and signed by Gregoire after the state Supreme Court in 2006 upheld Washington’s so-called Defense of Marriage Act that limits marriage to opposite-sex couples.

The court cited the argument that marriage was designed for the procreation of children. But the court noted the legislature could overturn the law or amend it to include gay pairs.