DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A former Republican state senator says in launching a group to support same-sex marriage that government has no right to say whom he can marry.

At a news conference Wednesday in Des Moines, Jeff Angelo said the group is called Iowa Republicans for Freedom. He wants the group to encourage rank-and-file Republicans to support same-sex marriage as a principle of individual liberties.

However, Angelo also says he doesn’t believe support for same-sex marriage should be a key factor for choosing any Republican presidential candidate.

Angelo, of Ames (and formerly of Creston), represented southwest Iowa in the state Senate between 1997 and 2008. He didn’t seek re-election in 2008. His position is counter to that of many Republicans, who have sought to overturn the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage in 2009.