New Hampshire Republican: Push To Revoke Gay Marriage Law Will Spark 'Backlash Against Republicans'

As New Hampshire lawmakers gear up for a vote to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage law, state Rep. Seth Cohn (R) is warning the effort could hurt Republicans hoping to hold power after the 2012 elections.

Should state lawmakers succeed in reversing the decision, New Hampshire would become the first example of a state legislature overturning its own law on same-sex marriage.

“They want this as an election issue,” Cohn said of state Democrats. “I think it’s going to backlash against the Republicans who, in the face of the polls, are choosing not to believe the average person is O.K. with this situation,” he added, according to The New York Times.

While Republicans hold majorities in both the House and Senate of the "Live Free Or Die" state, Cohn argued the controversial measure won't be able to muster the two-thirds majority necessary to override a veto threat from Gov. John Lynch (D).

Lynch first signed the same-sex marriage bill into law three years ago, and since then it has enjoyed considerable popular support. A recent poll out of the University of New Hampshire found a full 59 percent of respondents were strongly or somewhat opposed to repeal.

"I know for a fact, based on people I've talked to, that if Gov. Lynch vetoes it, that veto is not override-able," Cohn told The Concord Monitor last month.

The bill, first introduced by Rep. David Bates (R) in January 2011, must come up for a House vote by March 29 if it's to be considered by the state Senate this year.