Gay Marriage Debate Heading to House Floor for a Vote [AUDIO,POLL]

ST. PAUL - The Minnesota House has scheduled a Thursday debate and floor vote on the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state.

Jake Loesch is a spokesman for the organization Minnesotans United - the group that supports gay marriage.  He says he thinks the votes are there for it to pass in the House.

Loesch says they have no confirmed Republican votes in the House yet, but he says he's still hopeful they can gain some GOP support.  Supporters have also struggled to get Democratic support from rural parts of the state.

Democratic Representative Zach Dorholt of St. Cloud says "I am a YES vote. As someone with a degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, from a Catholic University, I believe it would be unethical for me to vote against this bill. I am also a co-author of HF1054, thus being a strong supporter, a strong YES vote."

Republican State Representative Tama Theis of St. Cloud says "After reading the bill and researching it a bit more, I plan on voting no to the Rewriting of the Marriage Law.  I have heard overwhelming from my constituents that this is the way I should be voting."

Loesch says they'll continue to lobby for support right up to Thursday.

If the House passes the bill, the next vote would be in the state Senate. But its passage has been seen as more secure there than in the House. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton has promised to sign the bill, which would allow gay couples to start getting married in Minnesota on Aug. 1.

WJON News also reached out to the organization Minnesotans for Marriage - the organization opposed to gay marriage - we have not heard back from them yet.