Virginia Attorney General Ken
Cuccinelli is in agreement with Texas Governor Rick Perry and
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann on the issue of gay marriage.
Cuccinelli, a strident social
conservative, told Richmond NBC affiliate News 12 that he supports
states' rights to legalize gay marriage, but believes a
constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a heterosexual union is
needed.
“Just leave it to each state,”
Cuccinelli said. “If it's a gray area, the federal government
should not do it.”
“The only amendment I would expect to
see to the constitution would be a nationwide protection of
traditional marriage and restricting marriage to one man and one
woman,” he added. (The video is embedded in the right panel of
this page.)
Republican presidential candidates
Perry and Bachmann have echoed similar sentiments in responding to
New York becoming the sixth state to adopt such a law.
“Our friends in New York six weeks
ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of
the same sex. And you know what? That's New York, and that's their
business, and that's fine with me,” Perry said.
Bachmann took a similar approach,
saying states have the right to decide the issue, but adding that a
federal amendment would trump state law.
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick
Santorum chided Perry for his position, and is expected to attack him
again on the issue during Thursday's presidential debate in Iowa.
“So Gov Perry, if a state wanted to
allow polygamy or if they chose to deny heterosexuals the right to
marry, would that be OK too?” Santorum messaged on Twitter with the
hashtag #tcot, which stands for “top conservatives on Twitter.”
(Related: Rick
Santorum opposes gay marriage because paper towels are not napkins.)