President Obama backs R74 as gay-marriage measure slips in polls

Supporters of a measure legalizing same-sex marriage in Washington have gotten the backing of President Obama, who endorsed Referendum 74 in a statement Thursday.

“While the president does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the president believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect. Washington’s same-sex marriage law would treat all Washington couples equally, and that is why the president supports a vote to approve Referendum 74,” said Press Secretary Paul Bell.

Washington United for Marriage Campaign Manager Zach Silk says the endorsement “reflects what’s happening in Washington and across the country.”

“We’re now in the home stretch, mobilizing thousands of volunteers with the largest ground game in Washington ballot history. We feel momentum is on our side, and having the president weigh in on approving Referendum 74 puts an extra gust of wind in our sails,” Silk said.

Obama’s endorsement comes one day after a new statewide Elway Poll released Wednesday showed support for Referendum 74 has fallen to under 50 percent with a narrow four-point lead.

“This poll shows the progress our campaign has made in the past few weeks, having moved the numbers 10 points in our direction since the last Elway Poll,” said Frank Schubert, Campaign Manager for Preserve Marriage Washington. “This survey is bad news for supporters of Referendum 74 which would redefine marriage in Washington state. Our opponents have had the airwaves to themselves for months before our TV ads started only recently, and they’re outspending us by a margin of seven-to-one. Despite this, support for the referendum is dropping and opposition is rising rapidly.”