Mr Bush went to Iowa to raise funds for Mr Lamberti
President George W Bush has used a rare campaign appearance to condemn a New Jersey verdict giving gay couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.
The president accused the "activist court" of raising doubts about the "sacred institution of marriage".

Mr Bush was speaking in Iowa, where he was backing a congressional candidate.

With polls suggesting the Democrats may win in Congress, observers say there is a debate over the role Mr Bush should play in the 7 November mid-term ballot.

The White House desperately wants the Republicans to win, to keep control of Congress - but many Republican candidates have made it plain that they do not see the president as a vote-winner in their districts, the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says.

Conservative appeal

On Thursday, after signing into a law an immigration bill authorising the construction of a fence along parts of the Mexican border, Mr Bush headed to Iowa to raise money for Republican Jeff Lamberti.




Key races: Iowa
Key issues
Mr Lamberti - whom the president mistakenly referred to as "Dave", according to the Associated Press news agency - is trailing his Democratic opponent Leonard Boswell by more than 10 percentage points, polls suggests.

Mr Bush used the opportunity to appeal to conservative voters who oppose gay marriage - an issue which is said to have won the Republicans many votes in the 2004 elections.

"Yesterday [Wednesday] in New Jersey we had another activist court that issued a ruling that raises doubts about the institution of marriage," the president said.

"I believe marriage is a union between a man and a woman. And I believe it's a sacred institution that is critical to the health of our society and the wellbeing of families, and it must be defended."

The Republican Party's gubernatorial candidate in the state, Jim Nussle, did not appear with the president, saying he had a scheduling conflict.

But his opponent, Democrat Chet Culver, accused him of "running and hiding" from Mr Bush because of the president's low popularity ratings.

After Iowa, the president attended a fundraising event for senatorial candidate Mike Bouchard who is trailing incumbent Debbie Stabenow in the polls.

A third of the Senate, the whole House of Representatives and 36 governorships are up for election on 7 November.

The Democrats need to pick up six seats to gain control of the Senate, and 15 House seats to have a majority there.


Courtesy of the BBC