While polls show that most Wisconsinites now support same-sex marriage, the three Republican candidates seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, are not accepting the new political reality happily.

Responding at a debate to the ruling by a federal judge striking down Wisconsin's ban on gay marriages, all three of the candidates produced quotes in the La Crosse Tribune that displayed deep contempt for same-sex unions.

The candidate who earned the headline, Karen Mueller, compared same-sex marriage to incest, suggesting that it was only a matter of time before courts allowed siblings to marry.

Another candidate, Ken Van Doren, rejected the notion that gay couples would want to marry for the same reason as straight ones.

“What they are really after is the employee benefits, I believe,” Van Doren said.

The problem of gay marriage, he explained, could be solved by getting employers out of the business of insuring employees.

“I think that will eliminate the incentive for the gays to get married,” he said.

The other candidate, Tony Kurtz, similarly displayed distaste for the recent court ruling, but in perhaps less controversial terms.