Jon Huntsman told reporters on his flyaround that he would not try use federal powers to block a law legalizing gay marriage in New York, which may pass as soon as this week:

Former Utah Governor and current presidential candidate Jon Huntsman said on Tuesday that as president he would respect the decision of states that legalized same-sex marriage and not seek to override those laws with a federal ban. Speaking to reporters on the day of his campaign launch, Huntsman was asked specifically about the growing likelihood of a same-sex marriage bill being passed in New York. Would he seek to overrule Empire State lawmakers should he end up in the Oval Office ?
"I would respect the state's decision on that," he replied.

The answer, while brisk, nevertheless sets Huntsman apart from his fellow Republican presidential candidates. Other members of the field have offer sympathy for state sovereignty on matters of marriage. But they have usually couched that by saying they would support a federal ban on same-sex marriage as well.

As Stein notes, the fact that Huntsman's stand on civil unions is similar to George W. Bush's, it's largely irrelevant at a hard-right moment in the party, and one where social conservatives in Iowa are fighting to retain the state's clout in the nominating process.

Republicans are also, at large, rejecting the policies of the Bush era, making Huntsman's stand to the left of much of the field a potentially tougher sell.