Poll Reveals Majority Strongly Support Same Sex Marriage In New Hampshire; Also Reveals That Those Surveyed Would Vote Against Candidate Who Fought To Repeal Same Sex Marriage Measure

A new poll shows strong support for allowing same-sex marriage to continue in New Hampshire. Republicans in the state Legislature are scheduled to take up the issue of same-sex marriage when they reconvene in January. Same-sex marriage was passed in 2009, and a poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center shows strong opposition to attempts to repeal the law. The WMUR Granite State poll shows that only 27-percent of New Hampshire adults support repealing same-sex marriage, while 50-percent strongly oppose repeal. The percentages are similar to a poll asking the same question in February. The poll of 500 randomly selected New Hampshire adults was conducted by phone from September 26 through October 2 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.4-percent. "Strong opponents of repealing same-sex marriage continue to outnumber strong proponents by more than 2 to 1," said Andrew Smith, director of the UNH Survey Center. "The New Hampshire public is not showing any strong desire to repeal this law." Supporters of repealing the same-sex marriage law were asked whether they were more or less likely to support a House or Senate candidate who opposed repeal, and opponents were asked if they were more or less likely to support candidates who supported repeal. The survey found that same-sex marriage was a much more important issue for those who oppose repealing the law. The survey showed that 44-percent of New Hampshire adults are more likely to vote against a candidate who is in favour of repealing same-sex marriage, while 14-percent said they were less likely to support a candidate who opposes repealing the law. Just 8-percent of residents said they thought legalizing same-sex marriage had a major effect on the state, while 38-percent said they thought it had a minor effect, compared to 47-percent who said it had no effect. Just 9-percent of Republicans and 11-percent of conservatives said they thought it had a major effect on the state.