For many Republicans, the challenge will be to adopt a stance on marriage that satisfies conservatives without alienating socially moderate swing voters. “I appreciate that many Americans’ attitude towards same-sex marriage have changed in recent years,” Florida Senator Marco Rubio said in a carefully worded statement after the ruling. “I respect the rights of states to allow same-sex marriages, even though I disagree with them. But I also expect that the decisions made by states like Florida to define marriage as between one man and one woman will also be respected.”

Similarly, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie denounced judicial meddling such as the court’s decision as “incredibly insulting” to the bipartisan congressional majorities which passed the DOMA. Like Rubio, Christie argued the issue should be decided by the voters of individual states and their elected representatives. “If the people of New Jersey want to amend our Constitution in order to make same-sex marriage legal and permissible in the state they have every right to do it, and the only people who can give them that opportunity is the New Jersey State Legislature,” he said. “I’d vote against it when I went into the ballot, but I wouldn’t object to it.”

As Paul, Rubio and Christie tried to carve out a politically tenable position, other Republicans have just declined to address the issue. “I haven’t studied their decision,” said Ohio Governor John Kasich. “As I think you all know, I believe in the traditional sense of marriage…I don’t have any more to say than that.” A spokesman for Wisconsin’s Scott Walker told reporter David Catanese that the state’s economic turnaround was “his only priority.” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has also stayed out of the fray.