Newt Gingrich has signed a pledge
promising to oppose gay marriage.
The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) announced Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, had joined
GOP candidates Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney, Texas Governor Rick Perry and former
Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in signing their pledge.
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
also signed but has since dropped out of the race.
“We commend Newt Gingrich for signing
NOM's presidential marriage pledge, committing himself to play a
leadership role as president to preserve marriage as the union of one
man and one woman,” said NOM
President Brian Brown. “Mr. Gingrich joins all the other major
candidates who have made a similar commitment, save for one – Ron
Paul. Now we will embark on an intensive communications program to
inform Iowa voters who will stand with them to preserve marriage, and
who has abandoned them on marriage.”
Candidates who sign NOM's 5-point
pledge promise to support a federal constitutional amendment banning
gay marriage, defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court,
appoint judges and an attorney general who will “respect the
original meaning of the Constitution,” appoint a presidential
commission to investigate the “harassment of traditional marriage
supporters,” and back legislation that would allow a ballot
question on the issue for voters of the District of Columbia
The moves comes just days after
Gingrich vowed to defend
DOMA and remain faithful to his wife.
Brown also criticized Texas Rep. Ron
Paul for not signing his group's pledge.
“Many of Ron Paul's supporters in
Iowa believe that he is on their side when it comes to preserving
traditional marriage, but he isn't,” Brown said. “While Paul
says he personally believes in traditional marriage, he has refused
to sign our pledge and, worse, has said that marriage is strictly a
private affair and that government has no role in regulating
marriage. This is a dangerous position with profound consequences
for society.”
“NOM is not going to endorse a
candidate in Iowa, but we will be making it clear through online ads,
telephone calls and other actions that Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum,
Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann stand with Iowans on defending
traditional marriage, and Ron Paul does not,” he added.
(Related: Ron
Paul's Iowa campaign director Mike Heath blamed wrecked economy on
gay marriage.)