Maine campaign heats up

With the prospect of a November referendum on same-sex marriage in Maine all but certain, pro-equality advocates are gearing up for a bruising battle to preserve the state’s marriage equality bill, signed by Gov. John Baldacci in May. Since January, Maine Freedom to Marry has been ramping up a vast field campaign to identify pro-equality voters. Without a presidential or gubernatorial race to bring voters out, Maine Freedom to Marry campaign manager Jesse Connolly said grassroots fieldwork is essential to finding voters who support marriage equality and to turning them out at the polls on Election Day.

"This campaign is really about having one-on-one conversations with Maine voters. ... We’re raising money, we’re building a campaign, but we’re really excited about this great work the field effort has been doing," said Connolly.

Yet campaign finance reports suggest that pro-equality advocates may face an uphill battle. Thus far, anti-gay activists have outpaced pro-equality advocates in fundraising. Much of that money has come from the national religious right organizations that backed the successful campaign to pass California’s Proposition 8 last year. The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices released campaign finance reports this month for both Stand for Marriage Maine, working to overturn the marriage equality bill, and Maine Freedom to Marry, working to preserve it. Stand for Marriage has raised more than twice as much money as Maine Freedom to Marry. Among the top Stand for Marriage donors were anti-gay activist Maggie Gallagher’s National Organization for Marriage, the religious right powerhouse Focus on the Family, and the national Knights of Columbus. Those three organizations raised $241,000 of the total $344,000 that Stand for Marriage brought in between April and mid-July.


Maine bishop vows to help bring gay marriage to vote in November

The spiritual leader of Maine’s 200,000 Roman Catholics has pledged his diocese’s help in bringing the state’s gay marriage law to a vote in November.

Bishop Richard Malone also called the law "a dangerous sociological experiment" that will have negative consequences for society. Malone said marriage as it’s been known for millennia "has served as the cornerstone of society." In a statement, Malone also expresses concern over the law’s effect on teachings about same-sex marriage in schools.

Gov. John Baldacci signed the same-sex marriage bill last week. Opponents quickly filed a challenge through Maine’s people’s veto process.

Malone said the Catholic Diocese will work closely with a number of partners to bring the issue to Maine voters.