Ads hit Romney effort in gay marriage fight

Criticisms of Governor Mitt Romney from supporters of gay marriage have been routine for months. But now, the governor is getting heat from the other side, too.

The Declaration Alliance, a conservative, Washington-based group headed by former presidential hopeful Alan Keyes, began airing $40,000 worth of ads yesterday on Boston talk radio stations, challenging Romney to support an effort to replace the four Supreme Court justices whose Nov. 18 ruling legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts. The group also plans to begin airing local television ads today.

"Governor Mitt Romney promised us that he would fight for traditional marriage and not leave any stone unturned in resisting the powerful homosexual lobby," Keyes says in the 60-second spot. "It's time to speak up, Mitt."

The spot urges listeners to call Romney's office and tell him to speak up for removing the judges. By 4 p.m. yesterday, the governor's office had received 160 calls from gay-marriage opponents who heard the radio ad, said Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. But the governor stands by his original position against removal of the judges, his spokesman said.

"While we appreciate the fact that people have strong feelings on the gay marriage issue, we don't think the answer is to impeach the justices responsible for the Goodridge decision," Fehrnstrom said. "That goes too far."

The initiative to remove the majority of judges in the Goodridge case, urged by a local group of gay-marriage opponents called the Article 8 Alliance, has not garnered much support among legislators on Beacon Hill. The bill has one sponsor, Representative Emile J. Goguen, a Fitchburg Democrat.

"We're asking Governor Romney to speak out in support of the Article 8 initiative," said James Lafferty, spokesman for Declaration Alliance. "He has made some serious efforts in some areas, but in others he has surrendered way too quickly."

Meanwhile, a new University of Massachusetts poll indicates that support for gay marriage has increased among voters. The survey, taken of 400 voters between May 2 and May 6, asked for their preferences on gay marriage. Forty-five percent of the respondents said they wanted gay marriage to be legal and opposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. A similar survey, taken between March 29 and April 5, found that 40 percent supported gay marriage and opposed an amendment banning it. Both polls had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.