By Peter J. Smith

NEW YORK, October 15, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Legalizing same-sex “marriage” in New York will be a number one priority in his administration, said Democrat gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo to homosexual activists Wednesday.

Cuomo told attendees at Wednesday’s Empire State Pride Agenda’s Fall Dinner that when he is elected governor, he will guarantee that same-sex “marriage” becomes a reality in New York State.

“I don’t want to be the governor who just proposes marriage equality. I don’t want to be the governor who lobbies for marriage equality. I don’t want to be the governor who fights for marriage equality,” said Cuomo. “I want to be the governor who signs the law that makes equality a reality in the state of New York.”

Legalizing same-sex “marriage” has been a priority for New York’s two previous Democrat governors: Eliot Spitzer (who resigned from office in disgrace over a prostitution scandal) and David Paterson, whose push to legalize same-sex “marriage” was defeated by a bipartisan coalition in the state Senate led by pro-family Democrat Ruben Diaz, Sr. (see coverage)

Same-sex “marriage” has passed easily in the Democrat-dominated Assembly, but not in the Senate where Republicans managed to block the legislation until they lost control of the chamber two years ago.

Cuomo’s statement of unequivocal support for the agenda of gay activists comes at the same time as his challenger, GOP candidate Carl Paladino, has been backtracking on his statements to Jewish leaders that he did not want children ” brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option.”

Paladino said Tuesday his words were “poorly chosen” and asked forgiveness from offended homosexuals.

“If elected as your governor I will stand and fight for all gay New Yorkers rights,” he said in a written apology.

The pro-life GOP candidate has been mired for weeks in a public relations morass from past and present missteps that have made it nearly impossible for him to focus the race on Cuomo. These issues range from the disclosure of racist and pornographic emails Paladino allegedly sent as jokes to friends, to his angry public fight with the NY Post over their public attention to the love-child he decided not to abort a decade ago, and revelations that he is a landlord to a Planned Parenthood facility.

Paladino’s campaign told the NY Post that he cannot legally evict the abortion provider which his company inherited as a tenant from a real estate deal.