N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory will veto Senate Bill 2, which would allow magistrates and employees of county register of deeds offices to opt out of performing same-sex or traditional marriages.

On Thursday afternoon, Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt sat down with WCHL and explained why he and three other openly gay North Carolina mayors – including Lydia Lavelle of Carrboro – sent a joint public statement about that day’s passage of Senate Bill 2 in the N.C. House of Representatives.

“It’s just to remind the governor that, just a couple of months ago, he said he said he wouldn’t sign,” said Kleinschmidt. “And now, we’re asking him: Please veto this bill.”

Maybe McCrory heard them. By late afternoon, he promised a veto. Before Kleinschidt even heard the news, he was optimistic about the inevitability of the bill’s demise.

“The good news for those who support us on this is that it only passed with 66 votes,” said Kleinschmidt. “Now, that was three-fifths of those who voted today. But that’s not three-fifths of the House. So, to override the veto, you’d need three-fifths of the House members. So, his veto could be upheld.”

The bill actually passed with 67 votes.

In a statement, McCrory said: “I recognize that, for many North Carolinians, including myself, opinions on same-sex marriage come from sincerely held religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman. However, we are a nation and a state of laws. Whether it is the president, governor, mayor, a law enforcement officer or magistrate, no public official who voluntarily swears to support and defend the Constitution and to discharge all duties of their office should be exempt from upholding that oath.”