Michele Bachmann has alleged that Mitt
Romney signed gay marriage licenses as governor of Massachusetts.
During an interview on the Steve Deace
radio show, Bachmann accused Romney of signing “189 same-sex
marriage licenses.”
“[I]f a candidate has signed those
same-sex marriage licenses, how likely will they be to fight against
same-sex marriage?” Bachmann said without referring to Romney by
name. “I actually stood up in an extremely liberal state like
Minnesota and I was the chief author of the marriage amendment
between one man and one woman. And I succeeded. And we eventually
got that bill on the ballot in Minnesota for people to vote on it.”
(The audio is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
(Bachmann's bill was not successful
during her time in the Minnesota Senate.)
In the wake of sexual harassment
accusations against Herman Cain, Bachmann is attempting to position
herself as the most conservative GOP presidential candidate by
stressing her consistent objection to gay marriage.
As governor of the first state to
legalize gay marriage in 2004, Romney granted special waivers that
allowed a non-clergy individual to solemnize a marriage. The One Day
Marriage Designation is not a marriage license. However, applicants
must include the name, address and date of birth of the couple he/she
wishes to marry.