Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has defended a radio ad by his Super PAC that suggests Senator Ted Cruz is misleading Iowa voters on his opposition to marriage equality.

At a Manhattan fundraiser, Cruz, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, told a Republican supporter that “fighting gay marriage” would not be a “top-three priority” in his administration.

In a radio ad created by Pursuing America's Greatness, the Super PAC formed by Iowa GOP strategist Nick Ryan, only a small portion of Cruz's response is included.

“So would you say it's like a top-three priority for you – fighting gay marriage?” the donor is heard asking in the ad, titled Two Teds, followed by Cruz answering, “No.”

But Cruz, also a Texas senator, did go on to explain: “I would say defending the constitution is a top priority. And that cuts across the whole spectrum – whether it's defending [the] First Amendment, defending religious liberty. People of New York may well resolve the marriage question differently than the people of Florida or Texas or Ohio. … That's why we have 50 states – to allow a diversity of views. And so that is a core commitment.”

On Fox News Sunday, Huckabee defended the ad against critics who say it selectively edited Cruz's remarks.

“There was nothing selected. There was nothing deceptive,” Huckabee said. “The point is that in Iowa he's made a major point and he's pitched to evangelicals as a person who is utterly authentic, he's going to fight for religious liberty, he's going to protect the right of people to disagree with decisions on same-sex marriage. But that's not what you heard in that Manhattan fundraiser.”

“It's just a matter of listening to the transcript and recognizing that it's not a big issue when he's in Manhattan, but it is a much bigger issue in Iowa. Look, I think we all are looking for people who are consistent. And consistent means you say the same thing regardless of where you are geographically. And that you don't take a different position or a slightly nuanced position because it would help you or hurt you with Manhattan fundraisers and people who are the big dollar donors in what I call the Washington-to-Wall Street access of power,” he added.