Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) speaks to the crowd at Ohio Republican Sen. candidate Josh Mandel's election night rally in Columbus, Ohio, November 6, 2012.

WASHINGTON/CLEVELAND | Fri Mar 15, 2013 3:45pm EDT

WASHINGTON/CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Senator Rob Portman became the most prominent Republican lawmaker to back gay rights when he reversed his opposition to same-sex marriage on Friday, two years after his son told him he was gay.

In a newspaper opinion piece on Friday, shortly before the Supreme Court is to hear arguments in two key cases on the issue, the Ohio senator said he now supports gay marriage.

"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married," Portman wrote in an op-ed piece in Ohio's Columbus Dispatch.

"That isn't how I've always felt. As a Congressman, and more recently as a Senator, I opposed marriage for same-sex couples. Then, something happened that led me to think through my position in a much deeper way."

Portman's 21-year-old son, Will, told the senator and his wife in February 2011 that he was gay and had been "since he could remember."

It was the latest show of public support for gay rights. President Barack Obama announced last year that he approved of gay marriage, and in his inaugural speech in January, he equated gay rights with civil rights.

The Supreme Court hears oral arguments later this month in two cases related to gay marriage. One challenges the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In a related case, the court will also hear arguments that question a California law, known as Proposition 8, banning gay marriage.

Portman was quoted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper as saying he now believes same-sex couples who marry in states where it is legal should be eligible for the same federal benefits granted to heterosexual couples.

Portman served as trade representative and then White House budget director under former President George W. Bush.

He was among the front-runners to be Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick during the 2012 election, but budget hawk Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin eventually got the nod.

PARTY SPLIT

The Republican Party has become increasingly split on the gay marriage issue, with some arguing that socially conservative positions such as opposition to same-sex marriage are contributing to the party's election losses.

An early Republican favorite for the 2016 presidential race, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, staged a defense of traditional marriage in a high-profile speech to a conservative conference on Thursday.

"Just because I believe that states should have the right to define marriage in the traditional way does not make me a bigot," the 41-year-old Cuban-American told the Conservative Political Action Conference.

But Republican strategist John Feehery said Portman's announcement could change attitudes in the party.

"I think so. The fact of the matter is Dick Cheney has been out there on this. Ted Olson, Rob Portman. And what's becoming clear is if you know somebody who happens to be gay, you feel much differently about this issue. The fact is we all know somebody who is gay. So I think this is going to be another indication that times are changing on this issue." he said.

In his op-ed piece, Portman wrote of how he has "wrestled" with reconciling his Christian faith with the desire for his son to have the same opportunities as his siblings.

"Ultimately, for me, it came down to the Bible's overarching themes of love and compassion and my belief that we are all children of God," he said.

Keith Cottrell, 40, an IT professional who lives in Cleveland, said he didn't "see much nobility" in Portman's decision because he only lined up behind gay rights after learning of his son's sexuality.

"I mean I'll gladly take his vote but would we applaud someone who constantly voted against women's rights if they changed their mind after having a daughter?" Cottrell said.

Portman said he consulted clergy members and friends including former Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney, who has an openly gay daughter, has reiterated his support for gay marriage over the past several years, despite his deeply conservative views on many issues.

Bob Vander Plaats, president of the Family Leader, an influential group of social conservatives in Iowa, said Portman had been "short-sighted" for changing his views.

"I don't see the Republican Party any time soon abandoning his stance on marriage. I see more than anything it is emboldened in their stance on marriage," he said. "The last time I checked, God's word was the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow," he said.

Portman's new position was supported by former opponent David Axelrod, who was Obama's senior campaign advisor.

"Courageous decision by Rob Portman to endorse same-sex marriage, guided by the love of a parent rather than by party ideology," Axelrod tweeted.

(Additional reporting by Alistair Bell and Samuel P. Jacobs; Editing by Vicki Allen and Bernadette Baum)

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Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) gestures at the podium of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, August 27, 2008.

WASHINGTON | Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:24am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia will announce later on Friday that he will not seek a sixth term in the Senate in 2014, according to a Senate Democratic source.

Rockefeller, 75, is chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. He is scheduled to make an announcement at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) in Charleston, West Virginia, about his future plans, according to his office.

The liberal Democrat, whose full name is John D. Rockefeller IV, is the great-grandson of the famous oil tycoon who became a billionaire in the late 1800s.

Senator Rockefeller has been a strong supporter of organized labor and was an active participant in healthcare reform initiatives, including President Barack Obama's successful effort in 2010.

Rockefeller also has been a protector of West Virginia's coal industry, an important economic force in his impoverished state. In 2009 and 2010, Rockefeller urged the Senate to take a careful approach to climate change legislation that would have aimed to reduce the use of carbon-emitting fossil fuels, such as coal, over the long-term.

That legislative effort ultimately sputtered in the Senate.

Instead, Rockefeller promoted a system that would have permanently stored carbon dioxide industrial emissions underground - a commercially unproven technology.

Republican Representative Shelley Moore Capito has been weighing a run for Rockefeller's Senate seat for a while.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Vicki Allen)

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HONOLULU | Wed Dec 26, 2012 9:37pm EST

HONOLULU (Reuters) - Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz was named on Wednesday to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of fellow Democrat Daniel Inouye.

Schatz, 40, was appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie, also a Democrat, to succeed Inouye for the two years remaining in the term.

Because Schatz and Inouye are from the same party, the change does not alter the balance of power in the 100-member Senate, where Democrats are expected to maintain a 55-45 majority over Republicans in January.

"I make this decision with full confidence that Brian's appointment is in the best interest of the state of Hawaii and the nation," Abercrombie said in a statement announcing the appointment.

A White House official said Schatz would fly to Washington with President Barack Obama aboard Air Force One on Wednesday night.

Schatz is expected to be sworn in Thursday, the governor's spokesman, Keith DeMello, told Reuters.

Inouye, a decorated World War Two veteran who lost an arm in battle and represented Hawaii in Congress since its statehood more than a half century ago, died last week at age 88.

The veteran senator was chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and third in the line of presidential succession as the Senate's senior member.

Schatz became Hawaii's 11th lieutenant governor two years ago. He previously served as head one of Hawaii's largest nonprofit community social services organizations.

He also was chairman of the state Democratic Party and chaired Obama's 2008 presidential campaign in Hawaii.

(Additional reporting by Jade Eckardt; Writing by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Steve Gorman and Stacey Joyce)

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1 of 13. A military honor guard carries the casket of Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) as it arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington December 20, 2012.

WASHINGTON | Thu Dec 20, 2012 3:54pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scores of members of the U.S. Congress put aside partisan fights on Thursday to gather in solemn tribute to Senator Daniel Inouye, who represented Hawaii in Congress since its statehood and received the rare honor of lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

A highly decorated World War Two veteran who lost an arm in battle, the Democrat who led the powerful Appropriations Committee was remembered as quiet, unassuming and genuine.

"Lord, we're grateful for the excellence that distinguished his significant career, the quiet grace and dignity with which he represented the Aloha State," Senate Chaplain Barry Black prayed as nearly every member of the U.S. Senate and many U.S. representatives gathered around the flag-draped casket.

Inouye died on Monday at the age of 88. He was chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the second-longest serving senator ever and third in the line of presidential succession as the Senate's senior member.

Inouye became Hawaii's first full-fledged member of the U.S. House of Representatives on August 21, 1959, when Hawaii became the 50th state. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962.

After nine consecutive Senate terms, he was the only member of Hawaii's original congressional delegation still serving on Capitol Hill. He was the highest-ranking elected Asian-American official in U.S. politics.

"He leaves behind a legacy of public leadership and private kindness that will not be forgotten as long as these walls stand," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said.

In what Republican House Speaker John Boehner called "a quiet ceremony for a quiet man," members of the U.S. armed services carried in and saluted Inouye's casket as many of his friends and colleagues placed their hands on their hearts.

Congressional leaders and Vice President Joe Biden, who served in the Senate with Inouye, later placed three wreaths around the casket.

The last U.S. dignitary to lie in state in the Rotunda was former U.S. President Gerald Ford, in 2006.

BIPARTISAN SHOW

In a rare show of bipartsanship, Reid, Boehner and Biden recounted stories from Inouye's career in the military and in Congress, echoing each other in recalling his loyalty to the United States, genuineness and quiet presence that inspired respect.

"No one, no one, in the 40 years I served with him, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever once doubted he would do what he said," Biden said. "No one ever doubted his motive."

Inouye enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17, shortly after the 1941 Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. A son of a Japanese immigrant, Inouye had to petition the government for the right to serve in the U.S. military because he was declared an "enemy alien" for his Japanese heritage.

Inouye lost his right arm in battle in Italy in 1945, earning a Purple Heart. He also received the Medal of Honor, the highest award for military valor.

"Danny had the most fulsome embrace of life with one arm as any man could have with two," Biden said.

"He was, in every sense, the quintessential American."

Under Hawaii law, Democratic Governor Neil Abercrombie will name a successor to fill Inouye's seat until a new senator is chosen in the 2014 general election.

Inouye will lie in state at the National Cathedral in Washington on Friday, and at Hawaii's state capitol in Honolulu on Saturday before a final memorial service at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on Sunday.

(Reporting by Alina Selyukh; Editing by Vicki Allen)

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