Cindy McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain, is the latest high-profile Republican to declare support for marriage equality for gays and lesbians. Her daughter, Meghan, has been a vocal supporter for more than a year.

It was billed as the beginning of a legislative fight to overturn last year’s Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. But a Tuesday afternoon rally on the Capitol steps quickly turned into a campaign event for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats.

The state of Iowa faces an expected $500 million to nearly one billion dollar shortfall this year. Democratic House Speaker Pat Murphy calls it the toughest year in his 20 years in the Legislature. Lawmakers will have less time to figure it out.

Even though it took a week of pressure to convince him, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, deserves praise for finally doing the right thing and speaking out against proposed legislation in Uganda that would sentence those found to be homosexual to death, the state’s largest gay-rights group said Monday.

Senator Chuck Grassley issued the following statement today: “My commitment to traditional values, including how marriage is defined and respect for life, holds true in the United States and around the world.

Former Governor Terry Branstad says he supports “traditional” marriage, but Branstad says he still “respects” other Republicans who support gay marriage.