Michele Bachmann has criticized Ron
Paul and Mitt Romney on gay marriage in a final pitch to social
conservatives in early caucus state Iowa, The
New York Times reported.
During a Council Bluffs appearance,
Bachmann attempted to use her record opposing marriage equality and
abortion to distance herself from her GOP presidential rivals.
“Mitt Romney has defended gay
marriage and even signed marriage licenses for same-sex couples and
Ron Paul doesn't believe the government should protect the
institution of marriage,” Bachmann said. “I have a record of
defending life, marriage and the family and I'll protect them as
president of the United States.”
(Related: Ron
Paul: Government should 'butt out' of gay marriage.)
Bachmann, who trails her rivals in the
state after winning the Iowa straw poll in August, and Rick Santorum
have previously leveled the charge at Romney that he helped advance
gay marriage.
Santorum said during a GOP debate
earlier this month that then-Governor Romney was faced with a choice
after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that barring gay men and
lesbians from marrying was unconstitutional.
“So Governor Romney was faced with a
choice: Go along with the court or go along with the constitution
and the statute. He chose the court and ordered people to issue gay
marriage licenses. And went beyond that. He personally, as
governor, issued gay marriage licenses.”
In rebutting the charge, Romney
described Santorum's retelling as a “novel understanding” of
events.
“The Supreme Court of Massachusetts
determined that under our constitution same-sex marriage was
required,” Romney said. “And the idea that that somehow that was
up to me to make a choice as to whether we had it or not was a little
unusual.”