Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
and former Godfather's CEO Herman Cain have rejected an anti-gay
marriage pledge, The Washington Post reported.
So far, only Minnesota Representative
Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum have
signed the Iowa-based Christian conservative group The Family
Leader's The Marriage Vow: A Declaration of Dependence Upon
Marriage and Family. Both candidates virulently oppose gay
rights.
Introduced last week, the pledge asks
presidential candidates to “vigorously” oppose marriage equality,
be faithful to their own spouse, vow to protect women and children
from pornography and reject Sharia law because it is a “form of
totalitarian control.” The group, influential among social
conservatives, has said it would not endorse any candidate that does
not sign the pledge.
Cain said in a statement: “I stand
firmly with the FAMILY Leader and share their vision and commitment
to supporting traditional values in American society. I am, and will
continue to be, an ardent defender of traditional marriage and will
work to preserve and protect the sanctity of human life, which I
believe begins at conception. While I commend their intent regarding
the pledge, I believe my stated position encompasses their values
without the need to sign the pledge.”
Pawlenty also insisted he “fully
supports traditional marriage,” but added that he could not sign
onto “words chosen by others,” opting instead to release a video
touting the Christian values of his family. (The video is embedded
in the right panel of this page.)
On Monday, former Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney became the first high-profile candidate to say
no to the pledge, saying it contained passages that were “undignified
and inappropriate for a presidential campaign.”
The group drew heated criticism for
including the passage that an African-America baby born into slavery
in 1860 was more likely to be raised in a two-parent household than
after the nation elected its first African-American president. The
passage was removed, but not before Bachmann and Santorum endorsed
the two-page document.
The 14-point pledge also ironically
asks candidates to have “Respect for the marital bonds of others,”
and footnotes suggest that being gay is a choice that may have a
negative impact on public health.
Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson
over the weekend called the pledge “offensive
and unrepublican” and “nothing short of a promise to discriminate
against everyone who makes a personal choice that doesn't fit into a
particular definition of 'virtue.'”
Jon Huntsman, the former Governor of
Utah and U.S. ambassador to China, has declined to sign any pledge as
part of his campaign.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who
spoke on Monday at a The Family Leader event in Iowa, remains
uncommitted on the pledge.