RNC chair Reince Priebus dodges question about Sen. Rand Paul's gay joke

RNC chairman Reince Priebus on Sunday refused to defend or rebuke Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) for his joke about same sex marriage.

Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition meeting in Iowa, Paul joked that he didn't think President Barack Obama's views on marriage "could get any gayer."

"I don’t know what Rand meant by that," Priebus said when questioned about the remark on NBC's Meet the Press. "I’m here to defend the Republican Party and I can defend our nominee Mitt Romney.”

"That particular comment, would you be pleased if Republicans talk about it in that way?" Meet the Press host David Gregory pressed.

"Here is what I know," Priebus responded. "Mitt Romney is a gracious, caring person who believes that every individual in this country, including people who are gay, deserve the dignity and respect that every American deserves, but that doesn't change the fact that we believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman."

Priebus said that voters have a "clear choice" between Obama and Romney regarding same sex marriage, but he doesn't think the issue will be a defining factor of the 2012 election.

Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by the RNC, below: