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The New Kids on the Block alumnus is standing behind the antigay presidential candidate, despite his past support of his gay former bandmate.
Donnie Wahlberg thinks Marco Rubio has the "right stuff" to be president.
The former New Kids on the Block singer, now an actor appearing on CBS's Blue Bloods, endorsed the GOP candidate Sunday in a press release.
"Even though we do not see eye to eye on every issue, I know that Marco is a man of principle who can be trusted to keep us safe and give each and every one of us a shot at the American Dream," the 46-year-old brother of Mark Wahlberg said in the statement. "Marco is a humble man who has not forgotten his roots, and he will fight to make sure that where you come from does not determine how far you can go."
"We need a leader like Marco to inspire a new Republican party and unite our nation, and I am proud to support him for President," he concluded.
Rubio is staunchly opposed to LGBT rights. He has said he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would reverse the marriage equality ruling and has voiced support for the First Amendment Defense Act, which would allow broad exemptions from antidiscrimination law if the discrimination is based on religious or moral objections to same-sex marriage.
These beliefs led one gay person to ask Rubio at a rally, "Why do you want to put me back in the closet?"
Historically, Wahlberg has spoken out in support of marriage equality. Following the 2015 announcement of the Supreme Court decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, which declared same-sex marriage constitutional, the singer posted a message of solidarity with his gay former bandmate, Jonathan R. Knight, on Twitter.
"I'm already happily married, and now I'm happy that my brother @jonathanrknight can get married in this country too!" he wrote.
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