WASHINGTON -- With signs emerging that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R)
may vetothe anti-gay bill passed by the state legislature last week, Arizona's two U.S. senators repeated their pleas for her to do so, saying the law would be "devastating."
Sen. Jeff Flake (R) said he had a chance to express his concerns to the governor in person Monday night.
"I encouraged her again to veto it," Flake told several reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
"I don't think it's needed, and ... it would be devastating economically to the state," he said of the bill, SB 1062, which makes it legal for businesses to discriminate against gay people on the grounds of promoting religious freedom.
Flake said the bill's message is "not one that we want to send."
Business leaders have spoken out vehemently against the bill. The Super Bowl Host Committee that's preparing for the 2015 championship, slated to be held in Glendale, Ariz., has also weighed in, advising Brewer
to use her veto pen.
"The entire business community is galvanized in a way that I've never seen against this legislation," said McCain. He added that the Super Bowl was only part of the problem.
"That's one of [business leaders'] concerns, but the major concern is frankly tourism and location of businesses in Arizona," he said.
He also thought the measure was distracting from the GOP's election-year message. "Of course," he said. "That's why I recommended that she veto it."
