PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Rep. Earl Blumenauer says there’s a 50-percent chance the current Congress will overturn either the Defense of Marriage Act or the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Blumenauer’s prediction follows an earlier mea culpa for his vote to approve the Defense of Marriage Act 10 years ago. The act bars federal recognition of same-sex unions.

In a statement released online, the congressman called the vote the worst of his political career.

“While I’ve made other mistakes, this was different: it was a deliberate vote that I knew to be poor public policy and was against my values,” he said in a statement on The Huffington Post.

The congressman has since signed on to be one of the 97 co-sponsors of a bill to overturn the act.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Blumenauer explained that at the time he cast his original vote, he thought it would calm some of the “really virulent” homophobia of the time.

Now, he said, it’s clear it only amplified it. “That’s not how I would have done it if I could have it to do over again,” he said.

Blumenauer says he is now committed to repealing both DOMA and the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bars homosexuals from openly serving in the military.

“We have an opportunity to actually correct it,” he said. “There was never a chance when the Republicans were in control or George Bush was in the White House.”

Even with other issues such as health care and the environment dominating public discourse, Blumenauer believes the current Congress should be able to push one of the reforms through. Once one is through, he says, the other won’t be far behind.

“These are related,” he said.

Jeana Frazzini, the executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, said Blumenauer’s 50-percent prediction might not be that far off.

“It’s just a very different climate than it was 10 years ago, so I think it’s completely do-able for this congress to repeal ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ or the Defense of Marriage Act,” Frazzini said.

Blumenauer’s decision to come out against DOMA likely won’t hurt him in any upcoming elections. His Oregon district is fairly liberal.

Still, he’s drawing some fire from organizations like Restore America, which advocate marriage as being only between one man and one woman.

“It’s all so he can get re-elected at the expense of historical and traditional marriage,” said David Crowe, the executive director of Restore America. “We just find that pretty arrogant.”