Why the Senate’s same-sex marriage vote is getting delayed

A Senate vote on the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would codify federal protections for same-sex marriage, has now been delayed until after the midterm elections, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) told reporters on Thursday.

That vote was originally expected to happen next week before lawmakers left for a break in October. Senators said that part of the reason for the delay was the release of new legislative text and the fact that lawmakers were still reviewing that language. Mostly, however, the bill was delayed for political reasons: Democrats need 10 GOP votes to pass legislation in the Senate, and an insufficient number of Republicans have signed on so far.

“Leader Schumer is extremely disappointed that there aren’t 10 Republicans in the Senate willing to vote yes on marriage equality legislation at this time,” the Senate majority leader’s office said in a statement. “Leader Schumer will not give up and will hold the bipartisan group to their promise that the votes to pass this marriage equality legislation will be there after the election.”

The Republican votes are likely missing because many fear the political blowback they’d get if they took a position on the bill. Were the vote to happen before the election, GOP lawmakers who voted against the bill could face backlash from moderate voters and independents who’ve widely supported same-sex marriage, while those who voted for it risk pushback from the members of their base who are still against it.

Multiple lawmakers suggested to Vox that it’s likely the bill will pick up more Republican votes once the midterms are over, when senators up for reelection would be under less political pressure. While there is overwhelming public support for same-sex marriage, a socially conservative segment of the Republican base continues to oppose it.