HONOLULU -- The day after Gov. Lingle vetoed House Bill 444, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Caucus of the Democratic Party endorsed Neil Abercrombie for governor.

"He believes in the justice and integrity and dignity of every person. That's why we need him," said Jo-Ann Adams, chairperson of the GLBT Caucus. "We need him to move this state forward."

Abercrombie has called the bill a civil rights issue and said if elected to the state's highest office, he would not leave the issue up to voters.

"I don't think it's ever a good idea to put someone's fundamental human rights in a situation where you can vote whether or not someone should have it," said Abercrombie.

Abercrombie's main opponent in the primary, Mufi Hannemann, said he firmly supports letting the people of Hawaii have a say on the emotionally-charged issue. Hannemann is expected to officially sign up for the race on July 20.

"What I'm going to do, if they choose to make it an issue, is sit down early, roll up our sleeves and find out where that common ground is," said Hannemann.

Hawaii's top democrat, U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye has made it a point to stay neutral in the race for governor, but Inouye said Wednesday that he supported the bill.

"I'm old enough to remember laws that were part of the United States where it was punishable by a crime if a white person married an Asian, or Polynesian, or an African. And most of those who proposed such laws said God dictated that," said Inouye.

Same-sex marriage has been a rallying point for Christian political groups, who are preparing for rallies and contentious public hearings. It's expected voters on both sides of the issue will make an impact at the polls when it comes time to cast their ballots.