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N.J. voters to Christie: Stop blocking marriage equality

Sixty-one percent of New Jersey residents want Gov. Chris Christie to drop his appeal blocking same-sex couples from marrying in the state, a poll found.
Cindy Meneghin, second from right, hugs her attorney Hayley Gorenberg during a rally at Garden State Equality in Montclair, N.J., after a Superior Court Judge ruled that New Jersey is unconstitutionally denying federal benefits to gay couples and must all
Cindy Meneghin, second from right, hugs her attorney Hayley Gorenberg during a rally at Garden State Equality in Montclair, N.J., after a Superior Court Judge ruled that New Jersey is unconstitutionally denying federal benefits to gay couples and must allow them to marry Friday, Sept. 27, 2013. Meneghin has been with her partner, Maureen Kilian, left, for 39 years.

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.