When Gov. John Lynch announced his support this week for civil unions, he echoed the views of most Democratic presidential candidates, who tend to endorse unions while opposing same-sex marriage. That stance reflects a growing acceptance of legal rights for same-sex couples, political observers said.

"My sense is that more and more, the American people are saying 'Civil unions are a reasonable compromise,' " said Wayne Lesperance, an associate professor of political science at New England College.

New Hampshire is poised to become the fourth state to establish civil unions for same-sex couples. Two states, Connecticut and New Jersey, have established civil unions since the last presidential election. Only Massachusetts allows legal marriage for same-sex couples.

But if Democrats are largely united in their position, Republican presidential candidates boast a range of views on civil unions and same-sex marriage. And it's in the Republican primary - with candidates attempting to woo social conservatives - that the issue will likely figure most prominently.

"It's on the Republican side where it's a much more tenuous thing," Lesperance said. "My sense is that there still hasn't been a buy-in yet" by conservative voters. "They still haven't made their minds up about who the conservative in the race is going to be."

Two Republican candidates, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, have to contend with their past stances on same-sex couples.

Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, supports same-sex civil unions.

As a candidate for governor in Massachusetts, Romney called on the Republican Party to provide "more support" for the gay and lesbian community. Since beginning his White House bid, Romney has toughened his rhetoric on civil unions and same-sex marriage, both of which he now opposes.

Romney recently attempted to position himself to the right of Arizona Sen. John McCain on the issue, calling McCain's stance on same-sex marriage "disingenuous." McCain has said that same-sex marriage, which he personally opposes, is an issue for states to decide. McCain opposed a proposed federal ban on same-sex marriage in 2004, denouncing the ban as usurping "a fundamental authority" from the states. Romney promoted the ban.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, meanwhile, recently told the Monitor that he opposes same-sex marriage and that his evangelical faith informs his views. Huckabee, a Republican, added that is open to the idea of states passing civil union laws.

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, who converted to Catholicism, may have staked out the most socially conservative position in the Republican field.

"If the movement for civil unions and same-sex marriage succeeds, we may well be dealing a fatal blow to an already vulnerable institution," Brownback said in 2004 on the Senate floor, where he spoke in favor of a federal ban on same-sex marriage. "It is possible to lose the institution of marriage in America, and that is precisely the hidden agenda of many in this cultural battle."

While Republicans have socially conservative primary voters to contend with, Democratic candidates are looking ahead to the general election, where they will attempt to appeal to voters outside the party base.

"I would be surprised if either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage," said Nathaniel Persily, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has published a study of same-sex marriage and public opinion. "They will be somewhere in between."

Clinton, a New York senator, opposes same-sex marriage but supports civil unions, as does Obama, a senator from Illinois. Other Democratic candidates - including former North Carolina senator John Edwards, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden - also endorse states' rights to establish civil unions but oppose same-sex marriage, according to recent news reports. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson promoted a domestic partnership bill in his home state this year.

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