A large majority of adults support New
Hampshire's one-year-old law that allows gay and lesbian couples to
marry.
Sixty-two percent of respondents to a
WMUR Granite State Poll oppose repeal of the law approved by
lawmakers in 2009.
The law, now in its second year as of
January 1, made New Hampshire the fifth state to approve the
institution.
Twenty-nine percent of New Hampshire
adults support repeal of the law, according to the survey.
Fifty-one percent of respondents said
they “strongly oppose” repeal, while 24 percent strongly support
repeal.
“Strong opponents of repealing
same-sex marriage outnumber strong proponents by a factor of two to
one,” said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New
Hampshire Survey Center.
“Politically, this represents
powerful resistance to changing the current law,” he added.
Republicans in the state gained
veto-proof majorities in both chambers of the Legislature on November
2, putting the law in jeopardy.
The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM), the nation's most vociferous opponent of gay marriage, has
vowed to attempt to repeal the legislation. Rep. David Bates, a
Republican from Windham, is behind the effort in the House.