Huntsman joins Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in labeling same-sex marriage as inevitable. Most people recognize where the issue is headed, Huntsman said. "But that's not to say at the interim you're not going to have court cases and pretty heated debates. I think that's just a given." Huntsman, who backed civil unions for gay couples as governor in 2009 and same-sex marriage in 2013, said the debate over the issue that is taking place both in and out of the courts is still necessary. "(I've) already spoken out why I think it's the right thing to do to recognize same-sex marriage. But these things don't happen overnight. It's step-by-step and it's an evolution that, in this case, is taking us somewhere."