--- description: The 2016 presidential candidates responded immediately to a Supreme Court decision recognizing gay marriage nationwide. title: Presidential Candidates Respond to Marriage Ruling image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdd6fd54e6b8d82b9/69885894196cf43430036dd4/gay-marriage-3.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Presidential Candidates Respond to Supreme Court Marriage Ruling ## Video: Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage [Watch (HLS stream): Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Nk2XaZ1m.m3u8) (1:25)  _Published 2015-06-26. The Supreme Court delivered a ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, saying it is a constitutional right and opening the door for marriage nationally._ by [Zeke Miller](/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Jan 24, 2024 1:54 PM CUTPublished: Jun 26, 2015 3:21 PM CUT  Supporters of gay marriage rally after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry at the Supreme Court in Washington June 26, 2015. Supporters of gay marriage rally after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry at the Supreme Court in Washington June 26, 2015.Joshua Roberts—Reuters by [Zeke Miller](/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Jan 24, 2024 1:54 PM CUTPublished: Jun 26, 2015 3:21 PM CUT White House aspirants were out with statements responding to the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide within seconds of the decision being announced Friday morning. Democrats were elated with the decision, following that party’s swift turn on the issue over the last decade. The Republican reaction was more mixed, with all expressing disappointment with the high court’s ruling, but disagreeing on the next steps forward. Social conservatives pledged to continue to keep fighting against same-sex marriage, while other candidates said they would move to ensure that those who object to such unions were not punished for their beliefs.  Supporters of gay marriage rally after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry at the Supreme Court in Washington June 26, 2015. Joshua Roberts—Reuters Here are the reactions, in roughly chronological order: Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D): --- > “” --- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D): --- > “” --- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R): --- > “” --- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R): --- > “” --- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (D): --- > “” --- Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R): --- > “” --- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R): --- > “” --- South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R): --- > “” --- Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (R): --- > “” --- Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (R): --- > “” --- Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R): --- > “” --- Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R): --- > “” --- ### See Scenes of Celebration After Supreme Court Gay Marriage Ruling  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jacquelyn Martin—AP  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Gay rights supporters celebrate after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, June 26, 2015. Jim Bourg—Reuters  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jim Lo Scalzo—EPA  John Becker, right, hugs his friend and fellow LGBT advocate Paul Guequierre, outside the Supreme Court in Washington on June 26, 2015. Jacquelyn Martin—AP  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jim Bourg—Reuters  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Manuel Balce Ceneta—AP ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3937636/supreme-court-gay-marriage-presidential-candidates/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3937636/supreme-court-gay-marriage-presidential-candidates/"},"headline":"Presidential Candidates Respond to Supreme Court Marriage Ruling","datePublished":"2015-06-26T15:21:14.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-24T13:54:58.000Z","description":"The 2016 presidential candidates responded immediately to a Supreme Court decision recognizing gay marriage nationwide.","url":"https://time.com/3937636/supreme-court-gay-marriage-presidential-candidates/","keywords":["2016 Election","Gay Marriage","Supreme Court","2016 Election topic","same sex marriage"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdd6fd54e6b8d82b9/69885894196cf43430036dd4/gay-marriage-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdd6fd54e6b8d82b9/69885894196cf43430036dd4/gay-marriage-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Gay Marriage US Supreme Court Ruling","caption":"Gay Marriage US Supreme Court Ruling","creditText":"Joshua Roberts—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3937636/supreme-court-gay-marriage-presidential-candidates/","name":"Presidential Candidates Respond to Supreme Court Marriage Ruling"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage","description":"The Supreme Court delivered a ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, saying it is a constitutional right and opening the door for marriage nationally.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Nk2XaZ1m/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-26T14:43:09.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Nk2XaZ1m.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3937636/supreme-court-gay-marriage-presidential-candidates/","duration":"PT1M25S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3937636/supreme-court-gay-marriage-presidential-candidates/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```