SEATTLE, Oct 25 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday endorsed state ballot initiatives to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington state, Maryland and Maine as he sought to galvanize gay and lesbian enthusiasm for his re-election bid.
Statements issued by the Obama campaign in those three states urging voters to approve the gay-marriage measures on their respective Nov. 6 ballots came five months after Obama became the first U.S. president to express support for the right of same-sex couples to wed.