Indiana GOP Delegates To Choose Between Platform Language Proposals

Indiana Republican Party Chair Kyle Hupfer says delegates at this weekend’s convention will vote to choose between two versions of the state party’s platform, its value statements.

The move comes as Hupfer tries to resolve a fight over whether to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

The dispute centers on a phrase: “We believe that strong families, based on marriage between a man and a woman, are the foundation of society.” That language was in the Indiana GOP platform in 2014 and 2016. Proposed language this year strips out the mention of marriage and includes support for single parents.

But a growing number of Republican leaders back a reversal to the old platform language. That includes about a third of state GOP lawmakers, among them Speaker Brian Bosma.

Now Indiana GOP Chair Kyle Hupfer says convention delegates will vote between the 2016 language and the 2018 proposal. But there’s a caveat – he says the 2016 language delegates can vote for will also include support for single parents. That’s because Hupfer says there was “universal support” for adding such language when this year’s platform was developed.