Republican presidential candidate and former governor of Utah John Huntsman said that while he believes marriage is between a man a woman, he supports civil unions.
"I believe in civil unions. I think we can do a better job in this country as it relates to equality and basic reciprocal rights," said Huntsman in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan.
He told CNN the issue should be decided by states and called the federal Defense of Marriage Act a safe-guard that protects traditional marriage.
Huntsman is one of only a few Republican candidates to explicitly support civil unions, according to Marriage Equality USA, an organization that promotes civil marriage for same-sex couples.
When asked about his views on abortion, Huntsman said he is pro-life.
To hear Huntsman's view of his Republican rival, former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, watch more of the CNN interview below.
