By JIM BARON

PROVIDENCE — Three of the four announced candidates for governor — Democrats Frank Caprio and Patrick Lynch and Independent Lincoln Chafee — are pledging to sign a bill allowing same-sex marriage if they are elected governor.

The fourth, Republican John Robitaille, said he believes “traditional marriage is between a man and a woman,” but adds, “I also believe we can’t (curtail) the rights of citizens so I would consider some form of reciprocal benefits or domestic partnership, but I would have to see the legislation before I would sign it.”
The current governor, Donald Carcieri, opposes same-sex marriage and touched off a controversy last year when he vetoed a bill giving domestic partners the right to make funeral arrangements for one another. But after meeting with a gay rights group, he said he would be open to some sort of domestic partnership law that bestows many of the rights that married couples have, but stops short of allowing same-sex couples to marry.
Lynch, Caprio and Chafee had been scheduled to attend a Statehouse rally Wednesday sponsored by Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI) to make their pledges public, but that has been postponed because of the predicted snowstorm.
“Rhode Island has a great history of tolerance going back to Roger Williams and our original charter and I think it’s about time that we joined the other New England states whose legislatures have passed marriage equality bills,” Chafee said, noting that Maine had rescinded its same-sex marriage law by voter referendum.
“I feel strongly about it,” Chafee added, “I think that if people love each other and want to get married, they ought to be able to make that commitment.” He said he would be active in urging the legislature to pass a marriage equality bill for him to sign.
The former U.S. Senator said his main priority would be “getting the economy going and putting Rhode Islanders back to work, but this is important.”
He sees same-sex marriage as an economic issue as well, saying it sends a message “that Rhode Island is an open and tolerant place to do business.”
Lynch said in a telephone interview that he has always been outspoken on the record in favor of same-sex marriage and was the first state attorney general in the United States to say that a state as a matter of law should recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states.
“It’s a human rights issue,” Lynch said. “We should allow for, provide, ensure that everyone has the same rights, regardless of their sexual orientation.”
He said that whether he was presented with a same-sex marriage bill or a civil unions bill, “I would sign it immediately.” But, he added, by speaking of civil unions, he doesn’t mean he supports anything “that gives less than the full panoply of rights to same-sex couples. That would be grossly inappropriate, in my estimation, constitutionally and legally.”
Asked how he thought the same-sex marriage issue might affect a political race, Lynch said, “I’m not one that dodges issues. But far, far, more importantly, my position as attorney general is that it is the appropriate legal opinion. As a lawyer and leader in the community, it is about standing up for everybody and standing up for basic human rights.”
Robitaille said the MERI group had not reached out to him as a candidate, but he allowed that his previous public statements made clear that he does not favor allowing same-sex couples to marry.
“Traditionally, marriage has been inextricably tied to law, social norms and religion,” Robitaille said, “but in today’s world, we have to make absolutely certain that the rights of all people are protected so I think there is room for any sort of relationship…I would be looking at something shy of full marriage equality.”
In an e-mail exchange, Caprio campaign spokeswoman Margie O’Brien said, “He would sign the bill into law.  As Governor, Frank's focus will be on creating and saving jobs, and the economy.”
Asked whether Caprio differentiates between marriage and civil unions, O’Brien responded “As mentioned above, Frank would sign a bill allowing marriage.”
Asked how Caprio thinks the issue might affect the politics of a Democratic primary and, after that, a general election, O’Brien said, “Frank's not concerned about how his actions will play politically, he's focused on doing what's fair.”