In what has been an ongoing saga in New Hampshire politics, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted down a bill on Wednesday that would have repealed the state's same-sex marriage law.
The result of the vote, 211 to 116, was a surprise to many legislators, given that Republicans dominate the House. Prior to the vote, State Rep. David Bates, R-Rockingham, said in an interview with The Dartmouth that the bill was expected to pass, "even by those who oppose it."
The Republican caucus in the State House, however, failed to find unity at the time of the vote, with most Libertarian-leaning members voting against the repeal.
While Speaker of the House William O'Brien, R-Hillsborough, voted in favor of the bill, the Republican caucus did not take an official position. O'Brien did not encourage members to vote in any particular way, his press secretary said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
State Rep. David Pierce, D-Grafton, said the final vote was unexpected.
"I'm thrilled by it," Pierce said. "I was surprised that it was defeated, but I was shocked that it was defeated by over a hundred votes."
Democratic New Hampshire Governor John Lynch, who signed the law that made same-sex marriage legal in 2009, had vowed to veto the repeal if it reached his desk, his press secretary, Colin Manning, said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"Marriage equality was a law that the governor was very proud to sign into law, and it was the right thing to do for New Hampshire and New Hampshire families," Manning said. "It's important to protect the rights of all our families."
If the repeal bill had been passed, New Hampshire would have been the first state in which a legislature changed stances on the issue of same-sex marriage.
Political action committees and national organizations inserted themselves into the debate surrounding the vote, vocalizing opinions on both sides of the issue.
Freedom to Marry, a group that advocates same-sex marriage across the country, and the New Hampshire Republicans for Freedom and Equality, a newly created political action committee, both vowed to offer money and support to legislators that voted against the repeal. The National Organization for Marriage, an organization that seeks to maintain the traditional definition of marriage, pledged to give $250,000 to support legislators and candidates who support the repeal.
Following the vote, the NHRFE and Freedom to Marry both said the result marked a step forward for proponents of marriage equality.
"I am so proud of my fellow Republicans who understood that freedom and liberty means freedom for all of us, including the freedom to marry," NHRFE chair Sean Owen said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "Our party can firmly claim to be the party of the future because today they stood up for all New Hampshire families."
Freedom to Marry national spokesman Marc Soloman said in a statement that the legislators made the right choice in protecting the freedoms of New Hampshire residents.
"Live Free or Die is alive and well in New Hampshire," Soloman said in an email to The Dartmouth. "Today's vote affirms that Granite Staters stand strongly against stripping away freedoms from any of their neighbors."
A press release on the National Organization for Marriage website expressed disappointment with the result of the vote but said the group will continue to support the "traditional definition" of marriage.
Pierce said he feels a repeal of New Hampshire's same-sex marriage law is unlikely to pass due to the state's strong independent leaning.
"This was never a partisan issue and 119 Republicans stood with just about all the Democrats to stand up and beat this thing," Pierce said. "I think it affirms the tradition of a Libertarian streak in New Hampshire, where the motto Live free or die' actually means something."
New Hampshire is currently one of six states along with Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont where same-sex marriage is legal. Legislatures in Washington and Maryland have passed laws granting same-sex marriage licenses starting later this year, but the laws may be overturned in November due to voter referenda.
Representatives from the National Organization for Marriage did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
