U.S. Edition
(CNN) – A poll released Wednesday showed President Barack Obama and his GOP rival Mitt Romney neck and neck in Florida, a battleground state Obama narrowly won in 2008.
When two of the state's most popular Republican politicians are added to the ticket – Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush – Romney sees a slight bump, but the results remain within the poll’s sampling error. FULL POST
(CNN) - Hours after endorsing same-sex marriage in an interview with ABC News Wednesday, President Barack Obama sent an explanation of the decision to supporters, ending with a request to donate to his re-election campaign.
"Today, I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer: I believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry," Obama wrote in the email. FULL POST
Washington (CNN) – In an election year that some pundits have predicted will be focused on jobs and the economy, social issues like same-sex marriage have stolen the spotlight a surprising number of times. But experts say don't expect those hot-button topics to be the ultimate markers of the 2012 cycle.
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama officially came out in support of the right of Americans to marry same-sex partners, ending a streak of ambiguity over his position that has long perplexed supporters of marriage equality.
(CNN) - There are bundlers - the mega-fundraisers who collect checks from friends and contacts, then forward them to campaigns - and then there's George Clooney.
Clooney did something that few, if any, bundlers have done this year for President Barack Obama's campaign: rake in $15 million dollars, a figure provided to CNN by a top Democratic source. FULL POST
(CNN) - North Carolina's newly approved constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage has sparked an effort to convince the Democratic Party to move its upcoming national convention somewhere else.
An online petition launched after Tuesday's referendum on Amendment 1 calls on the party to abandon plans to hold its September 3-7 convention in Charlotte. The petition urges Democrats to host their gathering in "a state that upholds values of equality and liberty."
New York (CNNMoney) - Advocates are hopeful that President Obama's decision to support same-sex marriage will bring gay couples one step closer to equal treatment on taxes, Social Security and other important financial matters.
Obama said in an interview Wednesday on ABC News that his views on gay marriage have evolved, and that he now supports marriage equality for same-sex couples.
(CNN) – The first openly gay member of Congress, Rep. Barney Frank, reacted to President Barack Obama's support of same-sex marriage on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."
"I'm very pleased," the Massachusetts Democrat said. "It's both a cause and an effect. Obviously as well intentioned as the president is, as much as he is opposed to discrimination, lots are constrained by public opinion. It is a sign that things have evolved. No president could have done this ten years ago. Secondly, it will be very helpful because it will help persuade other people about this and I think about 15-year-olds in school somewhere being picked on and bullied. Now the president of the United States has said, 'Hey, you know what, you're as important as anybody else.'"
(CNN) – Was the president planning on publicly expressing support for same-sex marriage before the election? It depends who you ask.
One senior administration official tells CNN President Obama’s advisors were deeply divided over whether it was prudent to make a public statement on the matter before voters weigh in next November.
(CNN) – While Richard Mourdock knocked out the Senate's most senior Republican in Tuesday's Indiana primary, a GOP candidate in Utah is hoping to do the same to the second longest-serving Senate Republican: Orrin Hatch.
Dan Liljenquist, the former state senator challenging Hatch, quickly fired out a statement Tuesday night, praising Mourdock's win and pushing for a repeat for conservative Republicans in Utah's GOP primary this June. FULL POST
CNN's GUT CHECK | for May 9, 2012 | 5 p.m. – n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle
BREAKING… OBAMA’s GAME CHANGE: In an interview with Robin Roberts of ABC News, President Obama announces he supports gay marriage: “I have been going through an evolution on this issue. I have always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. And that's why in addition to everything we've done in this administration, rolling back don't ask, don't tell so that outstanding Americans can defend our country. I've stood on the side of broader equality for the LGBT community. And I hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient, that that was something that would give people hospital visitation rights and other elements that we take for granted. And I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people, you know, the word marriage was something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs and so forth. … At a certain point, I've just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”
Mitt Romney at an event in Oklahoma City: “My view is marriage itself is relationship between a man and a woman and that's my own preference. I know other people have differing views, but I have the same view that I've had since running for office.”
FULL POST