J.D. Vance, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Ohio, said during a recent debate that he's opposed to a same-sex marriage bill.

Vance, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump, signaled his opposition during a debate with Democratic nominee Tim Ryan.

When asked about the Respect for Marriage Act, Vance answered: “I've come out against this bill and I don't think it's actually about gay marriage or same-sex marriage or same-sex equality.”

“Look, gay marriage is the law of the land of this country and I'm not trying to do anything to change that,” he added.

The bill, which cleared the House with the support of 47 Republicans, is a response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, which like Obergefell, the 2015 decision that ushered in marriage equality nationwide, was decided on the right to privacy.

Ryan reiterated his support for the measure.

“I voted for that in the House of Representatives and I will support codifying that in the Senate,” Ryan said. “Only J.D. Vance can say that the bill that codifies same-sex marriage is not about same-sex marriage. The problem we have here, we have 15,000 marriages here in Ohio and when you read Justice Thomas’ opinion on abortion, which J.D. Vance wants to celebrate, it also included in there nullifying these marriages, and it also included in there getting rid of protections around birth control.”

Vance and Ryan are running for the seat being vacated by the retiring Senator Rob Portman, a Republican and a co-sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act.

Senate leadership has said that the bill will come up for a vote after the midterms.