Ron Paul, the US congressman who led a stubbornly persistent presidential bid against presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney and other rivals, said Monday he is suspending active campaigning.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is being criticized for saying he wasn't sure President Obama's views on marriage 'could get any gayer'. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is being criticized for saying he was not sure President Obama's views on marriage ?could get any gayer.? Paul, the son of GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, drew laughs Friday at an event organized by the Christian conservative Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition when he said of Obama's endorsement of gay marriage: ?[C]all me cynical, but I wasn't sure his views on marriage could get any gayer.? ?It did kind of bother me though that he used the justification for it in a biblical reference,? said Paul. ?He said the biblical golden rule caused him to be for gay marriage. And I'm like what version of the Bible is he reading?? ?Now that doesn't mean we need to be harsh and mean and hate people ? But that doesn't mean that we have to go ahead and give up our traditions. We've got 6,000 years of tradition,? he added. Appearing Sunday o

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has suggested House Speaker Frank McNulty will block a civil unions bill from passage. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has suggested House Speaker Frank McNulty will block a civil unions bill from passage during a special session which convenes Monday. Hickenlooper, a Democrat, last week announced during an emotional press conference that he was calling lawmakers back to Denver to finish work on a civil unions bill and other measures which died on the House floor last Tuesday as the legislative session came to an end. The measure reached the House floor with the help of three Republicans on three separate House committees. On the final day left to debate the bill, Democrats accused Republican leaders of a filibuster on civil unions. House Republicans responded by calling an indefinite recess. Appearing Sunday on Face the Nation, Hickenlooper said McNulty was preparing to send the bill back to committee. When asked whether he believes civil unions

The mother of an unarmed black Florida teen whose killing by a neighborhood watch volunteer set off a storm of protests, released a Mother's Day video calling for a review of lax US gun laws.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has come out in favor of legalizing gay marriage. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has come out in favor of legalizing gay marriage, the Chicago Tribune reported. Quinn, who last year strongly backed efforts to approve a civil unions bill and signed it into law, in February told the AP that the wanted to study the issues surrounding a gay marriage measure introduced by openly gay representatives Greg Harris, Deb Mell and Kelly Cassidy. Later he said he looked ?forward to working with the advocates on this issue to build a majority.? On Thursday, a day after President Barack Obama made his endorsement for the institution, a Quinn spokeswoman left little doubt of the governor's support. ?Gov. Quinn joins with President Obama in supporting marriage equality and looks forward to working on this issue in the future with the General Assembly,? Quinn spokeswoman Mica Matsoff told the paper. Lawmakers are unlikely to act on the marriage bill before heading home on May 31

Republican Mitt Romney took the White House race into uncharted waters, suggesting he would like to challenge President Barack Obama to a bit of waterskiing.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper on Wednesday said he would call lawmakers back to Denver to finish work on civil unions. ?Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper on Wednesday said he would call lawmakers back to Denver to finish work on civil unions. Hickenlooper announced his decision during an emotional press conference. The governor explained that some of the people he knew from his time in the restaurant business ?didn't have the same rights as everyone else.? ?I had a call yesterday from one of them and just asked, 'If not now when?'? Hickenlooper told reporters. ?Everyone deserves the same legal rights in this country. We are depriving people of their civil rights without reason.? The measure died in the House on Tuesday as floor debate for the legislative session came to an end. Democrats accused Republican leaders of a filibuster on civil unions. Republicans denied the charge, saying the bill came up too late in the session. Republican Rep. Mark Waller told reporters that Democ

Texas Governor Rick Perry has criticized and Houston Mayor Annise Parker has cheered President Obama's gay marriage nod. ?Texas Governor Rick Perry has criticized and Houston Mayor Annise Parker has cheered President Obama's announcement in support of gay marriage. Obama on Wednesday told ABC News' Robin Roberts: ?I've concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.? Parker, who is openly gay and in her second term as mayor, tweeted: ?Wow! I was wrong. Call from White House. The President has stepped up and stated his support for recognizing relationships ? like mine!? According to the Houston Chronicle, senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett called Parker with the news. Perry dismissed the announcement, calling it a political maneuver. ?Election-year politics will never change,? said Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. ?Governor Perry's unwavering commitment is to the sanctity of marriage, defin

New York state Senator James Alesi announced Wednesday he will not seek reelection in the fall. New York state Senator James Alesi, one of the four Senate Republicans who voted in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the state, announced Wednesday he will not seek reelection in the fall. Alesi told the Daily News that he believes his vote weakened him politically. He said the vote lost him the support of the local GOP and Conservative parties, both of which are backing his primary opponent. ?I've gotten a lot of support from Democrats and the gay community, but unfortunately they can't vote in a Republican primary,? Alesi told the paper. Alesi, now in his eighth term, was the first Republican to announce his support for the measure. He said he decided against seeking a 9th term out of fear it might hurt the Republican Party's chances of maintaining its razor-thin majority in the Senate. ?At some point, you have to really look at what is good for the party,? he said during a Capital Toni

The US Senate lost a beacon of bipartisanship when Republican Richard Lugar was trounced by an ultra-conservative challenger -- the latest erosion of a moderate congressional middle that will leave Washington more polarized than ever.

Voters in North Carolina have approved a state constitutional amendment forbidding gay marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships, still divisive social issues in the United States.

Long-serving Republican Senator Richard Lugar was routed in the Indiana primary, marking the demise of a moderate at the hands of a conservative who deemed him too willing to compromise.

Voters in North Carolina approved a state constitutional amendment explicitly forbidding gay marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships.

A bill which would legalize civil unions for gay and lesbian couples appears to be dead as the Colorado legislative session comes to an end. A bill which would legalize civil unions for gay and lesbian couples appears to be dead as the Colorado legislative session comes to an end. Republican House Speaker Frank McNulty on Tuesday announced that lawmakers had reached an impasse on the measure. ?We have reached an impasse,? the AP quoted McNulty as saying. ?It is unfortunate that there will be items that will not receive consideration by the House tonight because of this impasse.? The measure cleared a third and final House committee to proceed to the floor earlier on Tuesday with the help of a lone Republican, Representative Cheri Gerou. On the House floor, Democrats wrangled with Republicans, accusing them of a filibuster on civil unions. When Democrats used a procedural move to try to stop debate on other bills, Republican leaders responded by declaring an indefinite recess. ?They wan

Long-serving Republican Senator Richard Lugar faced the toughest re-election battle of his 36-year career in Indiana on Tuesday, with Democrats hoping his defeat could help them snatch the seat in November.

Bill Clinton, NC Governor Bev Perdue, Senator Kay Hagan and Clay Aiken are among those featured in a final ad to defeat Amendment One. ?Former President Bill Clinton, NC Governor Bev Perdue, Senator Kay Hagan and Clay Aiken are among those featured in a final ad to defeat Amendment One. North Carolina voters on Tuesday will decided on the amendment, which would bar the state from recognizing gay and lesbian couples with marriage, civil unions and possibly domestic partnerships. The 3-minute ad features some of the most high-profile politicians, faith leaders, celebrities and everyday folks who have spoken out against the amendment. ?I'm going to vote against it,? Governor Perdue says in the ad. Amendment One has ?far reaching, negative consequences,? Hagan says. Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and former Mayors Harvey Gantt, a Democrat, and Richard Vinroot, a Republican, also speak out against the measure. ?You ought to vote against Amendment One on May 8th,? Vinroot says. ?There is nothi

A bill which would recognize gay and lesbian couples with civil unions cleared a second Colorado House panel on Friday. ?A bill which would recognize gay and lesbian couples with civil unions cleared a second Colorado House panel on Friday. The momentum toward a House floor vote before Tuesday ? the last day of the legislative session ? picked up as Rep. Don Beezley, a Republican from Broomfield, joined Democrats in the House Finance Committee to approve the measure with a 6-5 vote. On Thursday, Rep. B.J. Nikkel stunned Republican colleagues when she reversed her ?no? vote from last year, allowing the measure to break free from the Judiciary Committee where it had previously died. The proposal still needs to clear the House Appropriations Committee before advancing to the House floor. The Denver Post reported on Friday that Republican Rep. Cheri Gerou, the committee's vice chair, had announced her support for Senate Bill 2. Supporters now have at least 3 Republican votes in the House.

Rev. Jim Garlow told televangelist Pat Robertson on Thursday that prayer had defeated the 'homosexual agenda' in California. ?Rev. Jim Garlow, who currently heads the Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, California, told televangelist Pat Robertson on Thursday that prayer had defeated the ?homosexual agenda? in California. Appearing on The 700 Club, Robertson asked Garlow for an example of the power of prayer. ?Tell me one example where prayer that you know of ? I know many ? changed things in a nation,? Robertson said to his guest. ?I look at my own story and my prayer history in California, on a forty day season of fasting and prayer, God spoke to me that I needed to contend with those heavenly powers through humility and fasting,? Garlow answered. ?We believe, two stadium gatherings, a forty day fast across California, the governor of California, right after The Call in Sacramento, was removed from office, also put me in front of Gavin Newsom in a sovereign appointment to call him to

US President Barack Obama is giving his newly crowned Republican foe Mitt Romney a taste of the fight to come, assembling capacity crowds of fired-up young voters in a blitz of swing states.

The US Supreme Court appeared to lean Wednesday in favor of upholding a controversial Arizona immigration law, brushing back arguments that the state's crackdown on illegal immigrants encroaches on federal powers.