Bob McDonnell’s research paper, first reported Sunday by The Washington Post, shakes up what had been a smooth campaign. McDonnell has maintained a clear lead over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds in statewide polling.

In his first public comment on the 93-page conservative manifesto he wrote at the close of the Reagan presidency in 1989, McDonnell dismissed the paper as a long-ago academic exercise. He said life had moderated views he held then that government should “prefer married couples over cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators.” Working women and feminists were also a detriment to families, he wrote.

The treatise, titled “The Republican Party’s Vision for the Family: The Compelling Issue of the Decade,” singled out the Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling legalizing abortion and a ruling the previous year that legalized contraceptives for unmarried people. McDonnell, a Roman Catholic, has said abortions should be performed only to save the life of the mother.

Deeds’ campaign adviser Mo Elleithee said McDonnell was 34 and on the verge of running for the Virginia House of Delegates when he wrote the paper, and can’t shrug it off as misguided youth.

However, McDonnell complained that Deeds’ campaign was exploiting the thesis to suggest he supported workplace discrimination against women. He noted that his daughters have master’s degrees and that the oldest had served with the Army in Iraq.

McDonnell described himself as a “college student at the time, albeit a little older college student, within an academic environment and completely not restrained by the real policy world at the time.”

McDonnell wrote the thesis as a course requirement for his master’s and law degrees from Regent University, the Christian college founded by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson. In it, he wrote that “If the government at all levels has a duty to uphold the family, then it follows that it has the authority to legitimately discriminate in support of this goal.”

Asked if the statement still reflects his philosophy, he said it would be written much differently today.

“I don’t think the government’s got much business when it comes to cohabitation or any other living arrangements whatsoever,” he said.

(Hartford, Conn.) A decade-long battle for same-sex marriage in Connecticut has ended with the governor’s signature on a bill updating the state’s laws.

Culver said in a lengthy statement that he hadn’t changed his mind that marriage is between a man and a woman: “This is a tenet of my personal faith.”

However, Culver said the issue before the court in its unanimous ruling Friday involved only civil marriage, and that churches and other religious institutions do not have to perform them.

“The court also concluded that the denial of this right constitutes discrimination,” Culver said. “Therefore, after careful consideration and a thorough reading of the court’s decision, I am reluctant to support amending the Iowa Constitution to add a provision that our Supreme Court has said is unlawful and discriminatory.”

Culver made his statement hours after a Republican candidate for governor, Bob Vander Plaats, criticized the governor for not being more clear about where he stood on the gay marriage ruling.

“There’s an old saying that silence is golden, but it doesn’t apply when people need to know where their elected officials stand,” said Vander Plaats, a Sioux City businessman.

The court ruling means same-sex couples can file for licenses in Iowa beginning April 27, and get married as soon as April 30.

Key Democratic legislative leaders have ruled out efforts to start the process of amending the constitution, and Culver’s position likely ends that debate for all practical purposes. Social conservatives have been clamoring for the amendment, but even in their best-case scenario Iowa voters could not weigh in on the issue until 2012.

Iowa doesn’t have residency requirements for marriage licenses, so same-sex couples from elsewhere could come to Iowa to be married. Vander Plaats said at the least, lawmakers should put residency requirements in place to head off such visits.

“It is wrong to allow people whose states do not allow same-sex marriages to rush into Iowa, get a quickie marriage and rush home to undermine the laws and values of another state,” he said.

Culver urged both sides in the emotional debate “to exhibit respect and good will” and said he would focus his attention elsewhere.

“We are in the midst of a serious economic recession,” said Culver, pointing to rising unemployment and last summer’s record flooding. “That is where, I believe, my focus and energies should lie.”

Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, criticized Culver, saying he has broken an earlier promise to oppose gay marriage.

“Gov. Culver has chosen to stand with seven elite justices and deny the 3 million people of Iowa the right to vote on this significant issue,” McKinley said in a statement. “This marriage flip-flop is just the latest example of Gov. Culver not providing the leadership that every Iowan deserves.”

In the first two days after he pledged to veto a same-sex marriage bill, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas’ mailbag and e-mail inbox runneth over, with about 1,500 letters and messages pouring in.

Some were critical:

- “(Vetoing the bill) would clearly show the deep feelings of discrimination, bigotry and hate you feel for a group of Vermont people who have already had to wait for equal marriage rights in our state too long,” wrote a Newport man.

-”Being ahead of one’s time is what brought slavery and racial discrimination to an end … please support the Freedom to Marry bill,” wrote a Putney man.

- ” … your choice to veto is a slap in the face and a firm reminder that in your opinion, my partner and I are worth less than others simply because we are of the same gender,” wrote a South Burlington man, saying he refuses to be “a second class citizen in this state.”

Some were supportive:

- “It takes courage,” wrote a woman from Ovando, Mont. “Keep up the fight. Our prayers are with you. You are setting an example for other states.”

- “Our children, grand children will be harmed by this bill,” wrote a Milton woman. “I’ve seen what their teaching can do to a impressionistic teenage (sic) like my nephew, who is very confused. Please, please, please veto this bill.”

- “Your stance is reasonable and not unkind,” wrote a Burlington woman. “It must have been a difficult political decision, but right nonetheless. There are many Vermonters who are with you, but simply don’t how to articulate it. Hold firm!”

The missives, made available in response to an Access to Public Records Act request filed by The Associated Press, show the ardor of both supporters and opponents on the issue and on Douglas’ planned veto of a bill legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

Democrats in the Legislature say they plan to pass the bill, but the Republican governor said Wednesday he will veto it if they do. His announcement has galvanized forces on both sides of the issue, prompting the flood of mail from around the nation.

The state Senate has approved the measure, and the state House of Representatives is expected to vote on it Friday.

Vermont would become the third state allowing same-sex marriage, after Massachusetts and Connecticut. The California Supreme Court lifted a ban on same-sex marriage there last spring, but voters restored the ban six months later.

“This is an emotional, divisive issue,” Douglas spokeswoman Dennise Casey said.

Before Douglas’ announcement, the letters and e-mails on gay marriage were running about 70 percent against the bill to legalize it, Casey said. Since the announcement, supporters of same-sex marriage have been outnumbering opponents, with 60 percent of the letters and e-mails received speaking in favor it and 40 percent against, she said.

Some supporters pledged to take out their displeasure at the ballot box, threatening to vote against Douglas.

“You have disappointed me,” wrote a Middlesex man. “I will vote against you in the primary if you choose to seek re-election, and I will not vote for you again in any election,” said the man, who said he was from a family now turning from “formerly loyal Republicans into Democrats.”

Hang in there, same-sex marriage opponents told him.

“I know you are under great pressure from all sorts of pro-gay lobbies/groups, but it’s time that people used some backbone and stood against these pressures, no matter what the cost,” wrote a man from Indianapolis.

Until now, Douglas has been silent on whether he would exercise his veto power, saying only that he thinks the state’s civil unions law is sufficient.

The gay marriage bill passed the Senate on Monday 26-4. The House began hearings this week on the legislation.

It is expected that the bill will encounter little difficulty in the House, but the vote will be much closer than in the Senate.

Whether it will garner enough House support to override the veto is unclear.

Vermont was the first state in the country to legalize civil unions in 2000. Since then,  LGBT groups have criticized the law for creating a “two tiered” system – marriage for opposite-sex couples and civil unions for gays.

Under the marriage bill, the civil unions law would allow marriage of same-sex partners beginning Sept. 1. Civil unions, which confer some rights similar to marriage, would still be recognized but no longer granted after Sept. 1.

Supporters cast the debate as a civil rights issue, saying a civil unions law enacted by the state in 2000 has fallen short of the equality it promised same-sex couples. Its appeal has declined, too: In 2001, the state granted 1,876 civil unions, compared with only 262 last year.

An impact study released earlier this month suggests there is a link between the economy and gay marriage.

The study, by the Williams Institute at UCLA, found that approval of gay marriage in Vermont could generate $31 million in new spending and $3.3 million in state taxes over three years.

Last November, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the Boston-based LGBT rights group that brought the successful legal challenges leading to same-sex marriage in Massachusetts and Connecticut launched the “Six by Twelve” campaign to legalize gay marriage throughout all six New England states by 2012.

Opponents say gay marriage would undermine traditional male-female marriage, rendering men and women interchangeable and destroying the connection between children and marriage. They want the question put to voters in a referendum.

Dozens of protesters rallied at the Capitol Wednesday to express their anger. Many of the demonstrators wore T-shirts decrying the “gay agenda” and showing two men kissing.

Huntsman did not show up at his office in the Capitol on Wednesday. He canceled a scheduled news conference and moved several meetings to the Governor’s Mansion prompting several news organizations to speculate there had been threats against the governor, something his office denied.

Inside the legislature, Sen. Chris Buttars (R) – a longtime foe of gay rights – circulated a statement claiming civil unions in Utah “would threaten marriage and religious freedom.” He wants other lawmakers to sign the statement to then forward it to Huntsman.

Other Republicans suggested Huntsman’s position is little more than lobbying the Obama administration for a federal job.  The governor speaks fluent Mandarin. A spokesperson for Huntsman dismissed the speculation saying he is happy being governor of Utah.

Wednesday night gays and their allies staged a candlelight vigil outside the Governor’s Mansion to show their support for the governor and to urge passage of LGBT rights bills before the legislature.

In addition to saying Tuesday he supports civil unions, Huntsman also said he is in favor of most of a group of LGBT bills called the Common Ground Initiative.

This year LGBT rights groups unveiled a group of bills called the Common Ground Initiative that includes legislation to begin process of repealing the section of the amendment banning civil unions. Other bills include adding gays in job and housing protections, a domestic partner registry and partner health care rights.

Repealing the civil union ban was abandoned Monday by its sponsor fearing it was stalling the other measures. A fifth bill, that would have allowed same-sex couples to sue for wrongful death damages was defeated in a state Senate committee last month. The remaining bills are tied up in the Legislature and may not make it to a vote.

Equality Utah called the furor over Huntsman’s civil unions support “a distraction” from the other bills.

Last month a poll commissioned by Equality Utah found that 63 percent support gay legal protections including some rights for same-sex couples.

The survey found that 62 percent believe it should be illegal to fire someone for being gay and 57 percent said it should be illegal to deny housing to someone for being gay.

On the issue of partner rights, 73 percent said they would support health insurance coverage for a partner or other designated adult for state employees. Utahans however are not ready for same-sex marriage.  Only 20 percent said they supported gay marriage.

The 52-year-old political neophyte began testing her affinity for politics after leaving the online auction site after 10 years last January. She served as finance chairwoman for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and then as a national co-chair of John McCain’s.

“California faces challenges unlike any other time in its history – a weak and faltering economy, massive job losses and an exploding state budget deficit,” Whitman said in a statement on her Web site. “California is better than this, and I refuse to stand by and watch it fail.”

She said former Gov. Pete Wilson will be her campaign chairman.

Whitman will face Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, another wealthy former Silicon Valley executive, and former Rep. Tom Campbell, in the Republican primary. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, is prohibited from running again under the state’s term-limits law and will leave office in January 2011. His moderate social and fiscal positions have often put him at odds with the state Republican Party and the Bush administration.

Whichever candidate emerges from the GOP field will face a stiff challenge in the 2010 general election as the party continues to lose voters. Republicans accounted for 31.4 percent of registered voters last November, a slide of more than 3 percentage points since the 2004 elections. The party, which has grown more conservative in recent years as California voters have become more centrist, has been shedding voters for more than a decade as the ranks of independents in California has grown.

President Barack Obama defeated Republican challenger John McCain by 24 percentage points last year, the widest margin in a California presidential race since World War II.

Nevertheless, Poizner’s communications director, Kevin Spillane, said Whitman’s decision is a sign of strength for the state GOP.

“Campaigns are about differences and we look forward to Meg Whitman and other Republican candidates joining Steve Poizner in a vigorous discussion about who has the hands-on experience, innovative ideas and conservative instincts to save California,” Spillane said in a statement.

Whitman promoted her financial experience during the presidential campaign but has not revealed her positions on social issues such as abortion, stem-cell research and the death penalty. She supported the gay marriage ban approved by California voters in November.

The Republican nominee will face a crowded Democratic field that is expected to include former governor and current Attorney General Jerry Brown, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has not said whether she will run or remain in Congress.

Caroline Kennedy is widely believed to be the frontrunner but Paterson also is said to be considering New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo who has been touted as a possible challenger to Peterson’s re-election bid for the governorship.

Other names that have come up include openly gay Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell who introduced a gay marriage bill in 2007 in the legislature and shepherded it to passage in the house. The GOP-controlled Senate refused to consider the bill.

O’Donnell, who is the brother of lesbian celebrity Rosie O’Donnell, has said he will introduce the bill in the new session.

O’Donnell has confirmed he has been approached by Paterson and met with the governor on Christmas eve for a very “informal” discussion. But he also said that he did not approach the governor and is not actively campaigning for the Senate appointment.

O’Donnell was the first openly gay man elected to the Assembly. If he were appointed to replace Clinton he would be the first openly gay US senator.

Paterson said that 15 contenders are interested in the job and he’s already spoken to or interviewed about 10.

Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi of Long Island and representatives Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel, Jerrold Nadler, Kirsten Gillibrand and Brian Higgins are reportedly among the 15.

Paterson said he will not make an appointment until Clinton is confirmed as Secretary of State.

Kennedy has the support of the vast family’s political machine and is believed to be the favorite of President-elect Barrack Obama, although he has not publicly voiced an opinion. Kennedy, along with her uncle Sen. Ted Kennedy, was an early supporter of Obama.

Paterson said for the first time Thursday that Caroline Kennedy’s lack of legislative experience is a “minus” to her qualifications as a possible appointee to the  Senate.

The governor also said Kennedy has many positives despite never holding elective office.

“Caroline Kennedy obviously does have a tremendous relationship with [President-elect Barack Obama] that’s certainly a plus,” Paterson said. “She does not have much political, I mean, legislative experience, which is a minus.”

Kennedy is on record as supporting marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.

Impact-Florida wants is members and other supporters to wear pink T-shirts outside St. Petersburg’s First United Methodist Church where Crist will marry Carole Rome.

Following the wedding the group says it will follow the couple to the reception at a local resort.

“The demonstration will be peaceful and respectful,” Impact-Florida’s Lorna Bracewell told GaySoFla.com.

Bracewell told the online publication that the wedding provides a unique opportunity to shine a light on the injustice and unfairness of Amendment 2, the constitutional amendment that limits marriage to opposite-sex couples that was passed by voters last month.

Crist was an ardent supporter of the measure.

“He is exercising the same fundamental right millions of Floridians are now denied because of the passage of Amendment 2,” Bracewell said.

Crist’s wedding announcement surprised many in Florida’s gay community. There had been longtime rumors and speculation that Crist, a former state attorney general prior to becoming governor was a closeted gay.

During the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, independent candidate Max Linn, during an appearance on a radio talk show, said it is common knowledge in Tallahassee that Crist is gay.

“Charlie come out, come out from wherever you are,” Linn said during an interview on WFTL.

Crist has disputed constant rumors over his sexuality.

After speculation began over his possible naming as Sen. John McCain’s running mate, Crist announced his engagement to Carole Rome.

“Members of an elected official’s staff should never distract from the work of the principal who they are privileged to serve,” chief of staff Charles O’Byrne wrote in a letter to Paterson. “It is clear to me that my personal history has become a distraction to the work of your administration.”

Paterson wrote O’Byrne that he accepts the resignation, effective Friday, with regret.

O’Byrne, who has ties to the Kennedy family, has said clinical depression kept him from paying taxes between 2001 and 2005, before he took the job as secretary to the governor.

O’Byrne’s problems were first made public in the New York Post on Saturday and O’Byrne has been fighting mounting pressure since then to keep his $178,500-a-year job. On Tuesday, lawyers for O’Byrne sought to end the controversy by releasing tax data but ended up intensifying the criticism when they blamed the delay on “nonfiler syndrome” related to his depression. One of the tax attorneys said it was a common mental health problem for professionals, but mental health and IRS officials said they never heard of it.

Paterson administration officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

O’Byrne, a former Jesuit priest who officiated at the wedding of John F. Kennedy Jr. and counseled the Kennedy family three years later after he died in a plane crash, was officially the secretary to the governor, but his duties included those of chief of staff. He was responsible for mapping out policy and politics as Paterson rose from the near powerless Democratic minority in the Senate to lieutenant governor and then governor after Democrat Eliot Spitzer resigned in March amid a prostitution scandal.

O’Byrne’s resignation is a blow to an administration that has fought one crisis after another, beginning with Spitzer’s resignation after just 14 months, much of which was spent in gridlock after fights with the Republican-led state Senate.

Since then, Paterson, with O’Byrne, has convinced the Legislature to cut Spitzer’s last budget, decreased spending in the executive branch by 10 percent and warned of dire fiscal problems months before Wall Street’s meltdown.

Paterson appointed veteran political staffer and adviser Bill Cunningham as acting secretary to the governor.