South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson became the latest Democrat to support same-sex marriage on Monday, leaving only three holdouts among the party’s Senate faction that continues to oppose it.
“After lengthy consideration, my views have evolved sufficiently to support marriage equality legislation,” Johnson said in a release.
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“This position doesn’t require any religious denomination to alter any of its tenets; it simply forbids government from discrimination regarding who can marry whom,” added Johnson, who, with his decision, became the 54th sitting Senator to endorse same-sex marriage.
Last month, Johnson announced that he would not seek a fourth Senate term representing the socially conservative state — a decision that may have factored into his changed stance.
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Johnson’s flip leaves only three Senate Democrats who remain opposed to same-sex marriage, Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.).
In recent weeks, more than a dozen lawmakers from both parties have switched their positions on the issue.
Last week, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) became the second GOP member to make the move after Rob Portman (R-Ohio) switched his position in March after his son came out to him as gay.
