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.