GOP presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich tells
Newsmax TV he respects the Supreme Court's controversial okay of same-sex marriage, although he doesn't personally agree with it.
In an interview with J.D. Hayworth that aired Wednesday on "Newsmax Prime," Kasich, who recently attended a same-sex wedding, said: "I'm a believer that faith is about the do's and not the don'ts and I also believe that faith is about grace. I made it clear I don't agree with the Supreme Court's decision but I'm going to respect the Supreme Court's decision."
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Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples who want to marry are constitutionally entitled to the same recognition as male and female couples on both the state and federal level.
Kasich believes traditional marriage as being between a man and a woman, but, he added, "We need to move on."
"We don't want to compare one sin to another. They're all kind of equal," Kasich said. "What I believe is we ought to talk about the do's and not the don'ts, about humility, the issue of being in a position of where you can be a center of justice and healing.
"Ultimately, you learn over time the kind of character that God wants you to have. It's a different way of looking at it all, isn't it?"
Kasich also spoke about the nation's immigration policies and says they must be tough.
"First of all, we should pass an immigration bill and we should finish [building] the wall," he told Hayworth. "And we should make it clear that if you come over, you're going back. No excuses.
"The 10, 11, 12 million [now in the United States] if they haven't broken the law, we'll give them a path to legalization. That can pass the Congress and it can pass the American people."
On birthright citizenship — the so-called "anchor baby" controversy — Kasich believes it shouldn't be an issue.
"That should be just off the table. We're not going to go changing the Constitution and if you're here, you're here," Kasich said. "People come in and they're born in America, then they're Americans, as far as I'm concerned."
In
USA Today's latest Power Rankings survey, in which the newspaper asks about 30 political experts who they believe is the strongest GOP candidate, Kasich ranks in seventh place.