A majority of voters in New Jersey want current Gov. Chris Christie to drop his appeal of a state judge’s ruling that gay and lesbian couples have the right to marry, a new poll found.
Sixty-one percent of the state’s residents oppose the governor’s wish to block marriage equality, and 32% agree with him, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. Opposition to the appeal is 79% among Democrats and 42% among Christie’s fellow Republicans.
The current incumbent governor announced through a letter last week his attempt to block same-sex marriage from taking effect on the previously planned Oct. 21. The letter was in response to a judge’s recent ruling that New Jersey’s Constitution requires the state to allow same-sex marriages.
Slightly more women — 67% — disagreed with Christie than the 54% of men who oppose his move to block marriage equality.
Earlier this year the governor vetoed a bill passed by the New Jersey legislature that legalized same-sex marriage. But he was willing to wait for the matter go to a state referendum in November. Fifty-nine percent of voters said the state legislature should override Christie’s veto, according to the poll.
Christie also recently signed into law a bill that prohibits licensed professionals from attempting so-called “gay conversion therapy” on minors.
Even though Christie is attempting to block same-sex marriage in the deep-blue state, voters favored him 62% over Democratic Sen. Barbara Buono at 33% in the same Quinnipiac poll released Thursday.
Michele Richinick