Gov. Scott Walker’s politics in this area have been careful and calculating. While Walker opposes equality, firing a lawyer defending Wisconsin’s domestic partnership registry and supporting continued appeals of a federal court ruling striking down Wisconsin’s marriage equality ban, he has been careful as governor not to often speak publicly on these issues.

Instead, his standard response had been that because he does not have a role in court decisions, his opinion does not matter. However, as a presidential candidate who needs to shore up support among the Republican base, Walker has been clear that he believes issues of LGBTQ equality, such as marriage equality, should be left to the states to decide on their own.

In a June 2015 interview, Walker affirmed his belief that marriage “is between one man and one woman”, and he indicated that if the Supreme Court upholds marriage equality, the next step would be to pursue a constitutional amendment.