Poll: Majority Support for Marriage Equality in New Jersey

A majority of Garden State voters favor marriage equality in New Jersey, according to a new poll.

The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, which surveyed registered voters on the issue between January 10 and January 16, found that 52% of respondents said they favored marriage rights for same-sex couples in the state, with 42% opposed.

The New Jersey Star-Ledger reports:

It's the first time support for gay marriage has topped 50 percent in a Quinnipiac poll. The previous high was in April 2009, when 49 percent said they supported it.

"Democrats are making same-sex marriage their big opening issue and New Jersey voters support them," said poll director Maurice Carroll. "There are demographic splits -- Catholics are more supportive than Protestants. All groups support same-sex civil unions. Most groups support allowing same-sex couples to adopt children, while black voters are divided on that issue." (Read the article here.)

In a recent interview, New Jersey governor Chris Christie was noncommittal about vetoing marriage legislation. "Listen, I'm not in the hypothetical game," Christie told WCBS 880. "[Marriage equality advocates have] never been able to get it to a governor's desk. They couldn't get it to a governor's desk when the governor [who] was there said he would sign it," he said.