All in the Presidential Family

June 28, 2007 — -- A husband and wife usually disagree on a lot of things: the bills, who takes out the trash, when to visit the in-laws, etc.

But what happens when a candidate running for president disagrees with their spouse on a voting issue?

Often the consequences are beyond a simple spat, playing out not over the breakfast table but on the campaign trail instead.

All in the Family: Edwardses at Odds Over Gay Marriage

Spouses of presidential contenders have a unique role: They are offered as surrogates, as reflections of the candidates, echoing their platforms.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards claims he was surprised when he picked up the morning paper Monday. His wife, Elizabeth Edwards, was making the headlines – and it wasn't because she was repeating a campaign theme; she was splitting with one.

"I don't know why someone else's marriage has anything to do with me," Elizabeth Edwards said at the kickoff of San Francisco's annual gay pride parade Sunday. "I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage."

Her husband, who is making his second bid for the White House, opposes same-sex marriage. But he does not think the Constitution should be amended to define marriage as between a man and a woman. He insists that this issue is the "single hardest social issue" he's faced.

In a joint appearance with her on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" Monday night, Edwards reiterated his position: "I'm very strong about ending discrimination against gay and lesbian couples … But I'm not quite where Elizabeth is yet."

Presidential scholar Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute said this difference between the Edwardses is a plus for the campaign.

"John Edwards is trying first and foremost to appeal to the party base, and he has a track record on same-sex marriage. It's not easy to step away from it, but when his wife takes this position, it suggests where the family dynamic is," Ornstein told ABC News.

Differing views may be pure politics or provide rare clues to a potential first family's values, opening a window into a candidate's true feelings, sans strategy.

Either way, it's a double-edged tactic.

"There could be a counter flap when news stories are dominated by your wife," Ornstein said. "You would prefer to be the one that is the leader."

The Romneys and Abortion Rights

Mitt Romney, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, now vying for the Republican nomination, has always struggled to define his views on abortion rights.

Romney is currently against abortion but in his 1994 senate race against Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy, he supported abortion rights.

That switch might be tough enough to explain but complicating his explanation are the views of his wife, Ann Romney.

Ann Romney gave a $150 donation to the abortion rights group Planned Parenthood. Her donation was made in 1994, while Gov. Romney still considered himself "pro-choice."

The split between the couple has resurrected the questions lingering over Romney's true beliefs.

A Spouse: Helping or Hurting?

When the spouse of a candidate steps out and reflects his or her own policy positions, it has important implications for the campaign.

It could help, as Norm Ornstein argues it did in the case of President George W. Bush.

In 2000, Gov. Bush ran on being a "compassionate conservative," but he had strong conservative views on many social issues.

Laura Bush's stance on several social issues, sometimes contrary to her husband's but in tepid forms "gave him the aura of being a little more compassionate without upsetting the base," said Ornstein.

Call it the definition of having your cake and eating it, too: Candidates appeal to the base without any bold policy shifts or changes by the candidate. Spouses are not only surrogates regurgitating policy positions, but by using their own viewpoints can warm to voters who might otherwise dislike a candidate.

But spouses stepping out with their own viewpoints could also hurt candidates, highlighting past viewpoints which could dub the candidate as a flip flopper, or creating questions about their current positions.

The Great Divide

Husbands and wives argue; they disagree, and certainly the spouse of a presidential candidate is no different.

In the end, it is the candidate's viewpoint and policy beliefs that matter. There is no spousal spot on the ballot alongside the candidate's name, after all.

But voters still may pay attention to the great divide between the couple, seeking further clues to the candidate's real value system or beliefs through their spouse's statements and opinions.

Spouses are surrogates but they can also redefine this role when they speak out on their own on the campaign trail, off the policy script.

In the detail of the difference may lie the essence of the candidate. Or maybe not.

And sometimes a spousal spat is just too good to pass up.