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State Representative Christopher C. Rants, a Republican who proposed amending a state health and human services budget bill with the constitutional provision, said he was pleased, at least, that his fellow representatives were forced to take a vote on whether to allow the debate. The idea was rejected 54 to 44, largely along party lines....
[Governor Chester] Culver, who says he personally believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, said he was unlikely to support a constitutional amendment. “After careful consideration and a thorough reading of the court’s decision,” he said, “I am reluctant to support amending the Iowa Constitution to add a provision that our Supreme Court has said is unlawful and discriminatory.”
The statement was seen by some as a shift. In 2008, Mr. Culver told reporters that he would wait for the courts to rule on same-sex marriage in Iowa but that lawmakers could then react quickly.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to protect marriage between a man and a woman,” he said[in 2008], according to local news reports.

All 44 Republicans present voted for marriage. One Republican, Royd Chambers, is on active duty with the National Guard in Afghanistan and another was at a funeral. Only 2 of the 56 Democrats voted for marriage, Geri Huser and Dolores Mertz.