And already it is out of date. The number of senators supporting marriage equality now stands at 51, a working majority. That number includes two Republicans.
I wonder who were those 3 senators back in 1997? One is Ted Kennedy who stated a strong opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act, though didn't actually say, "I support allowing gays to marry."
Nate Silver studied what motivates a senator to declare his support for marriage equality. As I expected (once I thought about it), a senator makes a declaration when a clear majority in the state is for equality. I'll let Silver fill in the details (and perhaps correct my interpretation). Since some senators are from states (like Mississippi) that won't have a majority for equality for a long time, the upward curve will likely level off soon.
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