Hispanic voters played a key role in electing President Obama in 2008.

Now, a Hispanic-American Christian leader says the President risks alienating those voters if he threatens traditional marriage.

Reverend Samuel Rodriguez is an important voice in the evangelical world and the Obama administration consults with him on matters of faith and public policy.

Rodriguez tells CBN News that if President Obama pushes to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, he'll lose major support among Hispanics.

"If he repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, then he's going to have an incredible amount of backlash from the Hispanic American community," he said.

"Hispanic Americans are more committed to traditional marriage than even white evangelicals, according to Pew research. To us, this is a deal breaker. It is a game changer."

On the campaign trail, Obama said he wanted to repeal DOMA, a federal law defining marriage between a man and a woman. The law also provides that states do not have to recognize gay marriages from other states.

"President Obama needs to understand that the Hispanic American voter is without a doubt the quintessential swing and moderate vote in the elections, and we will determine who occupies the White House and who occupies Congress," Rodriguez added.