Politics

Hailey Hurowitz
Politics
Obama Trying to Legalize Gay Marriage
10/26/12
1A


       


          President Obama on Thursday supported behind ballot measures in Maine, Maryland, and Washington state that would legalize same-sex marriage.  Although the  president first said his general approval for gay marriage in May, he had not previously offered specific endorsements of the three measures.  In each case, the endorsements were issued through the state branches of Obama's reelection campaign.  In Maine, gay-rights put the measure on this year's ballot in hopes of reversing the results of 2009 in which voters rejected a same-sex marriage law passed by the legislature.  In Maryland and Washington, gay-marriage laws were passed by lawmakers and signed by the governors earlier this year, but opponents collected enough signatures to hold off on whether the laws should be upheld or rejected.  Ed Murray, who is an openly gay state senator in Washington has been fighting for years to legalize gay marriage, and is really with Obama all the way on this one.  Chip White of Preserve Marriage Washington, which opposes the gay-marriage law, said he was unsurprised by Obama's action.  If any of the measures are approved, it would be the first time that a state legalized same-sex marriage through a popular vote.  All 32 states voting on gay marriage have rejected it, while the six states that have legalized it did so through legislation or court orders.  In all three states voting on the issue on Nov. 6, the outcome is expected to be close, though the polls up to now have given an edge to gay-marriage supporters.