California's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — In a much-anticipated ruling issued Thursday, the California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional.

Several gay and lesbian couples, along with the city of San Francisco and gay rights groups, sued to overturn state laws allowing only marriages between a man and a woman.

"There can be no doubt that extending the designation of marriage to same-sex couples, rather than denying it to all couples, is the equal protection remedy that is most consistent with our state's general legislative policy and preference," said the 120-page ruling.

Election Center: Find out where the candidates stand on same-sex marriage

Full story

(CNN) – Hillary Clinton’s argument that she is the Democratic contender best-equipped to win the “big states” the party needs to capture the White House took a slight hit Thursday with the release of a new survey that seems to suggest Barack Obama is better-positioned to win California – a state where she won last month’s primary contest.

A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California indicates if the election were held today, Obama would hold a 49-40 percent advantage over McCain in a hypothetical fall matchup there. Clinton’s 43-40 percent edge over McCain falls just outside the survey’s margin of error. Fifty-seven percent of independent voters in the state have a favorable view of Obama, while just 35 percent say they like Clinton.

The survey of 2,002 California voters was conducted by telephone from March 11-18, and has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

– CNN’s Jeff Simon

(CNN) – Sen. Hillary Clinton can thank Latino and Asian voters for her projected victory in California. Early exit polls indicate that Sen. Barack Obama carried white voters in California because of his overwhelming support among white men. White women, as in other states, more often supported Clinton. Black voters overwhelmingly favored Obama but Asian voters, whose numbers are comparable to blacks, went overwhelmingly for Clinton. The deciding factor may have been Latinos, who make up roughly 30 percent of California's Democratic vote. They went for Clinton by a two-to-one margin.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, exit polls show Latino and Asian Republicans may also have played an important part in John McCain's victory in the GOP primary. Mitt Romney led among white Republican voters but McCain led among Latinos and Asians, the second- and third-largest voting blocs behind whites among California Republicans.

Related: CNN Analysts say Super Tuesday didn't distinguish Democratic candidates

To track the California primary results county-by-county, click here: California

To track the California primary results county-by-county, click here:  California

(CNN) – Sen. Hillary Clinton can thank Latino and Asian voters for her projected victory in California. Early exit polls indicate that Sen. Barack Obama carried white voters in California because of his overwhelming support among white men. White women, as in other states, more often supported Clinton. Black voters overwhelmingly favored Obama but Asian voters, whose numbers are comparable to blacks, went overwhelmingly for Clinton. The deciding factor may have been Latinos, who make up roughly 30 percent of California's Democratic vote. They went for Clinton by a two-to-one margin.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, exit polls show Latino and Asian Republicans may also have played an important part in John McCain's victory in the GOP primary. Mitt Romney led among white Republican voters but McCain led among Latinos and Asians, the second- and third-largest voting blocs behind whites among California Republicans.

Related: CNN Analysts say Super Tuesday didn't distinguish Democratic candidates

Paper ballots may delay California's Super Tuesday returns.

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Political observers hoping to learn the outcome of California's primaries before bedding down Tuesday may need a pot of late-night coffee.

Polls close in California at 8 p.m., which means folks on the East Coast will have to stay up until 11 p.m. just to see the polls on the West Coast close.

But tallying the ballots could go well into Wednesday morning as county registrars across California are predicting record-breaking turnout.

Also, a move from electronic to paper ballots means many votes in the state will have to be counted the old-fashioned way.

Full story

Returns from California's primary could be delayed because of paper ballots.

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) – People hoping to stay awake long enough Tuesday to see who won California's primary might have a long night.

Polls close in California at 8 p.m. PT, 11 p.m. on the East Coast. Even those who think they might awaken Wednesday to see results of the Democratic primary might still be waiting.

California is the biggest prize of the 24 states holding primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday.

Full story

CNN's Jessica Yellin reports why Maria Shriver decided to come out for Obama. (Photo Credit: AP)

A large crowd showed for the Michelle Obama ralley.

LOS ANGELES (CNN) — Maria Shriver endorsed Democrat Barack Obama’s White House bid today at a Los Angeles rally.

"Follow your own truth and your own voice," she told the crowd. With California's primary just 48 hours away, "We're at the epicenter of change. We can lead. We can lead this country," she said.

The California First Lady made a surprise appearance on-stage at the Sunday campaign event, backed by the candidate’s wife Michelle Obama, talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Shriver’s cousin Caroline Kennedy

Shriver is married to California’s Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who endorsed GOP presidential hopeful John McCain on Friday.

The former NBC journalist had said in the past she was drawn to Obama’s message. Shriver is the niece of Sen. Ted Kennedy, and has been close to Oprah Winfrey since both got their starts in local TV in Baltimore. Both Winfrey and the Massachusetts senator have actively campaigned for Obama.

Most of the crowd was made up of supporters of the Illinois senator's presidential bid. But there were a few undecided voters still trying to decide between Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, like El Segundo resident Leslie Clark, who came to the rally with a friend.

The Shriver endorsement didn’t impress Clark: "I don't go by what famous people say — I don't care about all that, living in L.A. They have money and political pull and might even be friends with him. What matters is what I learn about Obama while I'm here." Still, she left the rally leaning towards Obama.

California’s vote is this Tuesday, February 5. Most recent polls show Obama and Clinton locked in a tight race in the Democratic primary in this delegate-rich state.

–CNN’s Candy Crowley, Laura Bernardini and Jessica Yellin contributed to this report

(updated 8:15 p.m. ET with Shriver comments, crowd reaction.)

Clinton and Obama are tied in California, a new poll shows.

(CNN) — A new poll out Sunday suggests Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in a dead heat for the biggest prize on Super Tuesday: delegate-rich California.

According to a just released poll from the Field Research Corporation, Clinton only holds a statistically insignificant 2 point lead over Obama in California, 36 percent to 34 percent. Meanwhile the poll shows 18 percent of California Democrats have yet to make up their minds.

The poll suggests the race has significantly narrowed in the state in only a matter weeks– most polls two weeks ago showed Clinton with a double-digit lead there. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll taken a week ago showed Clinton with a 17 point lead in California. John Edwards, then still a presidential candidate, registered 11 percent.

If the eventual outcome of the race is as close as the poll suggests, both candidates stand to rack up significant numbers of delegates in the state: On the Democratic side, California awards its 370 delegates proportionately.

The poll shows the race on the Republican side isn't as close — John McCain holds a 32-24 percent lead over Romney with Mike Huckabee at 13 percent. Ron Paul pulls 10 percent of support among likely Republican voters.

California is worth 170 delegates for the Republicans and unlike the Democrats, the winner of the state's primary will be awarded them all.

The poll, conducted January 25-Febuary 1, surveyed 481 likely Republican primary voters and 511 likely Democratic voters and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Get breaking news Super Tuesday results via email. Sign up here

– CNN Producer Alexander Mooney

Former President Bill Clinton will visit black churches in LA this Sunday.

(CNN) – Two prominent African-American politicians plan to join former President Bill Clinton on a tour of black churches this Sunday in Los Angeles. Sources say one of the officials has described it as Clinton’s “mea culpa tour” to the black community.

“They need to go touch the people like they did before. The bickering they got in in South Carolina must be put aside,” says one of the officials, who plans to join the former president on Sunday.

“Bill is going to have to come back among those who loved him and he did so much for. He is going to have to do it – I can’t do it for him – and face the voters,” the source continued, adding that once he does, “it’ll put him back in the comfort zone, and I think you’ll see [Hillary Clinton’s] numbers go up.”

Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battling for California votes leading up to the February 5 primary there. Her campaign points to several polls that have shown her with the a lead in this delegate-rich state, while his is emphasizing fresh endorsements from the state's largest newspaper and biggest labor union.

A spokesperson for the Clinton campaign in California confirms the former president will be visiting African-American churches this Sunday, but disputes the notion the stops are intended to make amends with the black community before the state’s voters head to the polls this Tuesday.

“He’s very popular with Latinos, African-Americans, it’s absolutely not a mea culpa tour,” says Clinton California spokesperson Luis Vizcaino.

Read the rest of this entry »

(CNN) – A new survey of California voters indicates that John McCain has made dramatic gains with Republicans there.

The Republican senator from Arizona and GOP presidential candidate stands 13 points ahead of his closest rival in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday: 39 percent of likely California Republican primary voters back McCain, while 26 percent support former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

For McCain, that's a 19-point jump in the polls since the last CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey conducted in the state two weeks ago. Romney made gains as well, rising 10 points over the past two weeks.

Since the previous poll, McCain has won the South Carolina Republican primary, which was the first test of Southern voters for the Republican White House hopefuls. Romney scored victories in Michigan, his native state, and Nevada, where he was one of the few candidates to actively campaign.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is in third place in the new survey, with 13 percent of Republicans questioned backing him for the GOP presidential nomination. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is 2 points back. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is at 2 percent.

Six percent of likely Republican primary voters remain undecided. That's down from 15 percent two weeks ago.

When it comes to the issues, "Romney has a slight edge over McCain on economic matters, while McCain holds a big lead on the war in Iraq and terrorism among California Republicans," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

Read the rest of this entry »

Obama is hitting the airwaves in two states that vote February 5.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Democrat Barack Obama’s campaign has hit the air in two February 5 states.

In Arizona, a state with a large retirement population, Obama’s new television ad relates a story he tells often on the campaign trail, about his mother’s battle with cancer and mounting medical bills.

“My mother died of cancer at 53. In those last painful months, she was more worried about paying her medical bills than getting well. I hear stories like hers everyday,” says the Illinois senator in the 30-second spot, titled “Mother.”

“For 20 years, Washington has talked about health care reform and reformed nothing. I've got a plan to cut costs and cover everyone. But unless we stop the bickering and the lobbyists we will be in the same place twenty years from now. I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message because to fix health care we have to fix Washington.”

On Friday, the campaign announced the endorsement of Janet Napolitano, the state's popular Democratic governor.

In “Quiet,” Obama points to oil as both an environmental and a national security issue, and stresses his straight-talking credentials.

“I don't accept that we should be still sending eight hundred million dollars a day, part to hostile nations because of our addiction to foreign oil,” says Obama in the new 30-second ad, airing in California. “And in the bargain we're melting the polar ice caps.

“I went to Detroit to insist that we have to increase fuel efficiency standards. Now, I have to admit, the room got kind of quiet. We can't just tell people what they want to hear. We need to tell them what they need to hear. We need to tell them the truth.”

The ads are Obama’s first in states set to vote on February 5, the so-called Super Tuesday contests.

–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand