Two Votes Needed to Pass Marriage Equality Bill in Washington State Senate

At least 23 state senators are in favor of a gay marriage bill in Washington as of Friday morning, just two votes short needed to pass the new measure, which should be introduced in the next few days.

The numbers come from an Associated Press tally earlier this week, which found 22 of 49 lawmakers in favor of the bill and 18 opposed. Democratic Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe is the most recent addition to those numbers, and said that the legislation is "long overdue."

Among those who have pledged their support for the bill are two Republican senators, Steve Litzow and Cheryl Pflug.

The measure is expected to easily pass in the House, but votes in the Senate have been less certain following Gov. Chris Gregoire's decision to publicly endorse gay marriage for the first time last week. Washington would be the seventh state to approve same-sex marriage.