Karl Rove made an appearance on "This Week" on ABC on Sunday, where he talked about the evolution of the Republican party on gay marriage, an issue that is continuing to become more popular as more states pass laws legalizing it.
During the appearance, host George Stephanopoulos asked Rove if he could "imagine" the next GOP presidential candidate being in favor of gay marriage.
Rove responded, "I could."
This is a big step for the man who said, "Marriage is and should be defined as being between one man and one woman," in 2004, when he was working for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
As a campaign strategist, this is not a surprising change for Rove to make. A Pew Research Center poll finds 49 percent of Americans favor allowing gay marriage, with 44 percent opposed. Included in the 49 percent are 14 percent who state they have changed their minds to favor it, after previously opposing it. Only two percent said their opinion has shifted to oppose gay marriage.
A large contributing factor to the increasing popularity of legalizing gay marriage can be attributed to young people ranging from 18 to 32 years old. This age group is 70 percent in favor gay marriage.
Rove acknowledged this during his appearace at the Republican party in the wake of the last election.
"The Republican Party has to change from being simply a party of green eye shades to being a party that stands for the right of every American," he said. " (And) a party that emphasizes economic growth and prosperity over green eye shade issues."
Rove is one of many politicians to recently speak in favor of gay marriage.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio both recently came out to publicly support legalizing gay marriage.
Clinton spoke in a video released by the gay rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, stating that gays and lesbians are "full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship."
Portman made his public statement after learning his son is gay.
"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married," he wrote an editorial in the Columbia Dispatch.
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