Republican leadership in the New
Hampshire Legislature has said a bill that would repeal gay marriage
in the state won't be considered until after the state's presidential
primary.
House Republican Leader D.J.
Bettencourt told the Associated Press that a vote on the issue most
likely won't come up until January 11 or January 18.
“The presidential candidates have a
hard enough time getting their message out,” Bettencourt told the
news service. “This is the time for them to shine. We want them
to get all the attention possible.”
Lawmakers reconvene on January 4. But
instead of immediately taking up the bill that would replace the
state's 2-year-old gay marriage law with civil unions for any
unmarried adults, lawmakers will wait until after the state's January
10 primary.
However, the issue has already seeped
into the race for the GOP nomination.
Rick Perry in October praised
GOP lawmakers' efforts to repeal the law, while Mitt Romney said
he supports
repeal of the law when a gay Vietnam veteran asked his position
last week.
(Related: Republicans
call on lawmakers not to repeal New Hampshire gay marriage law.)