Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has found a new way to spin her ever-evolving position on gay marriage.
While Clinton’s position on the issue of gay marriage has been characterized as a “flip-flop” or a “change of heart,” Clinton campaign senior spokeswoman Karen Finney offered an innovative take during an interview on MSNBC’s “The Rundown” on Monday.
“No change of heart,” said Finney. “[Clinton] was asked a different question than she’d been asked before, is what I’ll tell you.”
Though Finney, a longtime Democratic operative, did not parse how the questions Clinton has been asked about gay marriage are any different, the candidate’s record clearly shows that her position has “evolved” over the years.
As a 2008 presidential candidate, Clinton opposed legalized marriage for gays, supporting civil unions instead. (RELATED: Hillary Evolves Some More On Gay Marriage)
When Clinton left her position as secretary of state in 2013, she said she was “fully in support of gay marriage” and said she was pleased that more states were voting to legalize it.
She reiterated that position in a now-infamous interview with NPR’s Terry Gross in June 2014.
“For me, marriage had always been a matter left to the states,” Clinton said. “And in many of the conversations that I and my colleagues and supporters had, I fully endorse the efforts by activists who work state-by-state and in fact that is what is working.” (RELATED: NPR Host Grills An Annoyed Hillary Clinton Over Her Gay Marriage Flip-Flop)
Gross’ interview with Clinton grew testy at times when the host pressed the politician on her changing position.
Clinton’s stance on gay marriage took its most recent turn last week.
“Hillary Clinton supports marriage equality and hopes the Supreme Court will come down on the side of same-sex couples being guaranteed that constitutional right,” Adrienne Elrod, a spokeswoman for the Clinton campaign, said in a statement.
That statement was issued after BuzzFeed’s Chris Geidner asked the campaign about Clinton’s current position on gay marriage.
“After Clinton announced this week that she would run for president, BuzzFeed News asked her campaign whether she believe states can ban same-sex couples from marrying or she believes such bans are unconstitutional,” Geidner wrote.
WATCH:
