The Fight over Gay-Marriage Rights in New Jersey to be Resolved Soon

The fight over same-sex marriage in Maine was resolved on Tuesday when it was rejected by the narrowest of margins in a closely contested 53 percent to 47 percent vote. The gay-marriage movement is now expected to turn its focus to New Jersey, where there is a substantial amount of pressure have a bill that authorizes same-sex marriage passed while Governor Jon Corzine is still in office.

Gov. Corzine, who was unseated by his Republican counterpart Chris Christie in Tuesday's election, will remain in office through the middle of January. However, President of the National Organization for Marriage Maggie Gallagher is under the impression that a potential same-sex marriage bill will either be passed within the next few weeks or it will not be passed at all.

Future Governor of New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie, is strongly opposed to gay-marriage and that is an underlying factor behind the pressure gay-marriage rights advocates are putting on Gov. Corzine to get a same-sex marriage bill passed before his successor takes over.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Tuesday's same-sex marriage vote in Maine marked the 31st occasion that state voters rejected gay-marriage rights proposals. While Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont are the only four states that currently grant same-sex marriage, New Hampshire is slated to become the fifth in January of 2010.