Antigay Advocate: Infidelities Aside, Newt a Moral Leader

An Iowa antigay leader influential in the Republican primary campaign has forgiven candidate Newt Gingrich for his infidelities while praising his social conservative credentials.

During a Friday morning interview, Bob Vander Plaats, who heads the Family Leader group, told MSNBC's Chris Cillizza, "Every candidate's past is going to matter. But I believe for those of us who are social conservatives, people of faith, we also realize that the cornerstone at the heart of our faith is a thing called forgiveness."

"We all fall short, but we want to know, is he truly repentful, has he learned, is he ready to move on, is he more mature? Vander Plaats mused. "And I believe he's addressed this in a lot of situations and I think he will again on Saturday."

(Video below. Read more at LGBT Think Progress.)