(*Updated, 9:18 a.m., to include comment from the Wagner campaign)

Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Wagner has said he wouldn't rule out the possibility of signing legislation that would end recognition of same-sex unions in Pennsylvania, saying he'd have to consider such a bill if it came to his desk.

That pronouncement by Wagner, of York County, was caught on tape by a Democratic tracker during a town hall meeting in Erie on Monday night with running-mate Jeffrey Bartos.

"The process is a bill would come to the House or Senate to my desk and I would have to give that consideration. I don't have the answer tonight. But I can follow up with you," Wagner, a former state senator, told his interrogator, who identified himself as a Catholic.

The release of Wagner's remarks, which were swiftly condemned by Democrats as an "absolute disgrace" came hours after a shadowy conservative action group released a poll that it says shows a razor-thin margin between Wagner and incumbent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, also of York County.

Other public polls have shown Wolf with a double-digit lead over Wagner, a trash company executive.

Here's the text of the full exchange:

Audience Member: "I am Catholic and so I have a really important question. That would be that after you are elected, will you consider putting pressure and using your influence on the house to craft a bill that would eliminate the recognition and benefits of same sex marriage?"

Wagner: "As governor, I won't be driving that agenda. That'll be a House or Senate bill that will drive that agenda. And I'll have to see when it gets to my desk for that answer. I have policy people in place and you're asking a question- I'm going to be honest with you tonight. The process is a bill would come to the House or Senate to my desk and I would have to give that consideration. I don't have the answer tonight. But I can follow up with you."

In some ways, Wagner's response is a bit of Harrisburg boilerplate. When confronted with hypothetical legislation, gubernatorial candidates (and incumbents) often say that they'll consider a bill when it reaches their desk. Wagner, however, could also have explicitly said that he'd veto such a bill if it reaches his desk - which other candidates have done.

But given the room, the politics, and the questioner, that doesn't seem like it was ever going to be part of the calculus.

A bit of background:

In a 2015 decision called Obergfell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourth Amendment granted same-sex couples the right to marriage.

The ruling has never sat well with cultural conservatives, who have been hoping that a more conservative Supreme Court would somehow eat away at the Obergfell decision - which seems to be the pretext for the audience member's question.

The high court's decision in the Masterpiece Cake Shop case earlier this year, which dealt with issues of religious liberty, has been viewed as one angle of attack on the Obergfell decision.

It's unclear what, if anything, given the federal precedent, states could do to restrict marriage rights for same-sex couples.

But Pennsylvania remains one of several states that does not offer explicit protections in law against workplace, employment and public accommodation discrimination against its LGBTQ citizens. Wagner has previously supported such protections.

Nonetheless, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission has said it will begin accepting complaints based on such discriminatory actions.

The reaction:

As you might expect, Democrats were quick to condemn Wagner's remarks, calling them "an absolute disgrace."

"Scott Wagner saying he would consider signing a bill that would make same sex marriage illegal in Pennsylvania is an absolute disgrace," Beth Melena, a spokeswoman for Wolf's re-election campaign, said in an email.

"Pennsylvanians need a governor who will stand up for everyone in the commonwealth, including those in our LGBTQ community, and Scott Wagner is clearly not up for the job. Scott Wagner is a dangerous candidate who would take Pennsylvania backwards," Melena said.

*In an email, Wagner's spokesman, Andrew Romeo, said the Republican was "caught off guard by the question."

Wagner, who runs the regional trash hauling giant PennWaste, is an "employer who believes in fairness and does not discriminate at his various companies. He was willing to lose the primary to protect the rights of the LGBTQ community and he would veto any bill that would restrict marriage rights for same-sex couples," Romeo said.

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Here's an old fave from

Jesus Jones

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