Maine on Tuesday became the first state
to approve a gay marriage law at the ballot box.
Media sources called a win for Question
1 about 11:30PM ET.
Matt McTighe, campaign manager for
Mainers United for Marriage, thanked supporters in an e-mail.
“Tonight, here in Maine, we proved
that voters can change their hearts and minds if we tell our stories
and give our fellow citizens a personal connection to the countless
families whose lives are impacted by this debate,” McTighe wrote.
“Opponents of marriage came into our
state using the same recycled scare tactics and misleading ads
they've dragged out time and time again.”
“But Mainers have heard those lies
before.”
“We are the first state to win
marriage at the ballot box, but I'm confident that we won't be the
last.”
After a marriage equality law approved
in 2009 by lawmakers was repealed by voters at the ballot box,
heartbroken supporters vowed to keep fighting.
This year, they decided to skip the
legislature altogether and go directly to the people, returning the
issue to the ballot.
Polling in mid-Summer showed a large
majority (57%) of Mainers in favor, and 35 percent opposed. But as
the campaign rolled into fall and opponents released their ads,
support began to slip.
A Public Policy Survey released on
Saturday forecast a tight race: “If I had to guess this is
something more like a 52/48 advantage and at that point it can go
either way – this is likely to be a pretty close vote.”