Photo by M.V. Jantzen

The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill legalizing same-sex sex marriage Friday evening, all but guaranteeing that the Maryland will become the eighth state, along with D.C., to offer marriage equality.

The vote was 71-67, a reversal of the assembly’s vote nearly a year ago against the measure. Two Republicans, Wade Kach and Robert A. Costa, joined the bulk of the House’s Democratic majority in voting for the measure today, the Post reports. (Earlier today we learned that all it took to secure Kach’s vote was the endorsement of former Vice President Dick Cheney.) Several Democrats from Baltimore and Prince George’s County, cited their constituents’ religious concerns in voting against the bill.

The Maryland Senate approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage nearly a year ago, and it is expected that a vote on the current bill will pass on a similar tally. Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, said last July that he would sponsor this bill. The Baltimore Sun writes that today’s vote is a major victory for O’Malley. The House vote comes the same day that another mid-Atlantic governor considered a potential future presidential candidate, New Jersey’s Chris Christie, vetoed a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in his state. Christie has argued that the issue should be put to a popular vote rather than a legislative path.

“We want to thank the Delegates who cast votes today in favor of equality for LGBT families in our state, and our Senate supporters who laid the path last year that made this day possible,” Carrie Evans, the executive director of Equality Maryland, said in a news release. “Their unwavering commitment has helped bring us one huge step closer today to marriage equality in our great state.”

Justin Snow, a writer for MarylandReporter.com, notes a Maryland Senate vote could come as early as next week. Assuming last year’s vote holds, the bill could be on O’Malley’s desk quite soon.