GOP Senator Censured by Indiana Republicans for Same-Sex Marriage Vote

A group of Indiana Republicans has sent a letter of censure to U.S. Senator Todd Young after he voted in favor of federal legislation designed to protect same-sex marriages.

The Cass County Republican Party has written to Young to express strong criticism of his decision, while the local party chairman has also sent the letter to the state's other county GOP committees.

Young was one of 12 Republican senators who voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act late last month and he also defended that decision in an article published in The Indianapolis Star.

CNN Capitol Hill reporter Melanie Zanona shared the letter of censure sent to Young and a screenshot of an email circulated to county GOP chairs on Twitter on Thursday.

"Indiana's Cass County Republican party has drafted and sent a censure letter to GOP Sen. Todd Young over his support of legislation to protect same-sex marriage, per copy obtained by CNN, and has also begun circulating it to other GOP counties," Zanona tweeted.

In the letter to Young, Cass County Republican Committee Chairman David Richey wrote that the senator's vote "elicited feelings of anger, disbelief and even a sense of betrayal."

"We are not just fiscal conservatives, but social conservatives as well," the letter said.

Richey pointed to the November 30 op-ed authored by Young where he had defended his vote, writing that the article had "confirmed our concerns that you have departed from the deeply held views of the majority of your fellow Hoosiers."

The letter claimed that Young had changed his mind on the issue after previously stating that same-sex marriage should be handled at a state level rather than by the federal government.

Richey's letter also took aim at the "progressive left" and called the Respect for Marriage Act an "unnecessary bill, which will have a chilling effect on religious freedom and further undermine the traditional family."

The letter went on to note Indiana Republicans' previous support for Young and his conservative voting record, saying: "We appreciate your opposition to abortion and your support of the right to bear arms, but this vote, on your part, could destroy support for you across a wide spectrum of Republican voters."

Richey's letter was cc'd to all Indiana Republican chairs and he emailed his fellow county chairs, telling them that his local party had asked him to communicate with other county parties and ask them to follow suit.

"The Cass County Republicans do not feel they are alone in the feelings of betrayal shown by the Senator," Richey wrote.

In his op-ed, Young acknowledged that some people in his own party "have let me know they are disappointed in my decision" but he defended the bill's protections for people of faith as well as same-sex marriage.

"Dignity and respect are not a zero-sum proposition. We can and should strive to ensure all citizens enjoy them in equal measure," Young wrote. "The Respect for Marriage Act moves us closer to that ideal."

Newsweek has asked Young's office for comment.