Buoyed By Maine, Marriage Repealers Set Eyes On New Hampshire

And now the forces of darkness turn their hate-filled piggy little eyes to New Hampshire.

Two proposals are being drafted in the N.H. House: One would repeal the law Gov. John Lynch signed in June and re-establish civil unions; the other is a constitutional amendment that would charge voters with deciding if "the state shall only recognize the union of one man and one woman as marriage." Supporters of same-sex marriage are strategizing and gearing up for a fight, said Rep. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth, who sponsored the gay marriage law. He said momentum doesn't rest with gay-marriage foes. "The momentum is on our side and those of us who support equality and love over hate," he said Wednesday. Even so, "we have a fight cut out for us in January" when the Legislature reconvenes, he said. "But I think virtually everyone in the House and Senate who voted for marriage equality will stick with us and I'm hoping we'll pick up some others."

Others see the Maine results propelling similar action across state lines. Kevin Smith, executive director of the Cornerstone Policy Research in Manchester, said the Maine election can't be chalked up to conservatives coming out of the woodwork because a proposal that would have lowered taxes was defeated and expanding the use of medical marijuana passed in the same election. "This has crossover appeal," said Smith, whose organization lobbied against gay marriage in the Granite State. "And if anything else it points out just how out of touch the Legislature and Gov. Lynch are."

Legislators say the repeal effort faces an "uphill battle" as the makeup of both New Hampshire chambers has not changed since same-sex marriage was approved. But remember - that was a fairly tight battle when it happened.