In an announcement at the National Press Club on Monday, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said Sen. Rob Portman "will be supported" regardless of the Ohio Republican's recent public reversal in favor of marriage equality, igniting a backlash from conservatives.
Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly criticized Priebus's acceptance of Portman's support of gay marriage in an interview with National Review Online on Monday.
"I think [the RNC] should pretty much ignore him," Schlafly said. "I think he has made a mistake, and he probably won't get reelected."
Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, said he was concerned some Republicans were "going wobbly on this issue," NRO reported.
Days after the Ohio senator's announcement, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that marriage is the "union of one man and one woman" and he couldn't imagine "that position would ever change."
Some Republican strategists, however, believe that it's not unfathomable for a pro-gay marriage Republican candidate to get nominated in the coming years.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's recent public endorsement for marriage equality marked a shift in politicians appealing to the majority of Americans who favor gay rights.
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