Alesi

"This is just totally the beginning," Mr. Alesi said in an interview this week with The Wall Street Journal.

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

A Democratic assemblyman from Rochester, Joe Morelle, said the Democratic party has "no interest" in Mr. Alesi, adding, "I would hope that he isn't using the vote as a political tool, that it's not just used to advance his political career."

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

A 63-year-old retired businessman who earned a living off of a fleet of coin-operated laundry machines, Mr. Alesi is new not only to the cause of same-sex marriage, having voted against similar legislation in 2009, but also to the swell of national attention championing him as an ambassador of a polarizing issue.

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

Such proclamations have aroused suspicions that Mr. Alesi intends to switch party affiliations and run for re-election as a Democrat, a suggestion he quickly disputed, describing himself as a "true-blue Republican."

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

It is a welcome change from January, when Mr. Alesi was associated less with legislative history than with what he has since described as a "bone-headed" personal-injury lawsuit against the owners of a home in which he fell off a ladder while trespassing on their property.

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

The home was under construction, and Mr. Alesi has said he was under the impression that it was open to prospective buyers.

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

Before he became the first state Senate Republican to openly support same-sex marriage, James Alesi was an upstate politician best known for a broken leg and a lawsuit that alienated his Rochester-area constituency.

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

"My friends are showing me on their BlackBerrys, 'Jim Alesi, gay icon,'" he said.

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

Associated Press State Sen. James Alesi In recent weeks, Mr. Alesi has displaced that episode as the most prominent mark on his record by propelling himself into the national arena of the gay-rights movement.

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011

Far from appearing regretful, Mr. Alesi said he feels "emancipated" as a result of the party's disassociation with him, and could barely contain his praise for Mr. Cuomo, saying "at least temporarily, he's a messiah."

Once Ridiculed, Senator Embraces Spotlight Erica Orden 2011