Chris Christie Talks Gay Marriage, Religious Tradition

Two years after a bill to legalize gay marriage failed in New Jersey, new legislation is gaining support and Gov. Chris Christie won't say whether he would veto it.

"Listen, I'm not in the hypothetical game," he told WCBS 880. "They've 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."

Christie said he would not sign a bill legalizing gay marriage after legislation passed in New York, but now he is hedging about what he will do if the bill does make it to his desk.

"I've been very clear on my view on this since I ran for office that I'm not a supporter of same-sex marriage," he said. "But on the other hand, the fact is that this is a huge societal change that they're talking about here and I think that we need to do this in a very deliberate and thoughtful way and get the most input from the public we can before we overturn hundreds of years of societal legal and religious tradition."

Listen to the interview above (via ThinkProgress).

If Christie chooses to veto the bill, New Jersey Democrats may be able to override him. The Wall Street Journal reports:

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, one of the bill’s sponsors, estimated the chamber had between 24 and 27 supporters for legislation to allow for same-sex marriage in New Jersey. It takes 27 votes in the 40-member state senate to override a governor’s veto.

"I'm wishing and hoping," said Lesniak, who also acknowledged that some potential supporters still needed "shoring up."

Christie has left the door open for a vice presidential nomination, which could leave him treading carefully around conservative hot-button issues. 52 percent of New Jersey residents now support gay marriage.