SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Aiming to shore up support among his Republican base, a politically weakened Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger seems almost certain to veto a bill that would allow gay marriage in California, political analysts said on Wednesday.
The bill, passed late on Tuesday in California's Democrat-led Assembly, marked the first time a state legislature in the United States has endorsed gay marriage. The state Senate backed the bill last week.
A spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger said the governor supports Proposition 22, a voter-approved measure defining marriage as between a man and woman. He also believes the courts are the "correct venue" for deciding on the state's ban on same-sex marriages, she said.
Gay marriage is under review in California courts following San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's decision in 2004 to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples -- a move that set off a national debate.
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