According to Politico, there are seven states where President Obama's gay marriage support could hinder his campaign. They are, in no particular order, North Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Iowa, where gay marriage is legal, and Missouri.
Here is what reporter Charles Mahtesian has to say about the Florida scene:
One day, gay marriage might be enshrined in law across the map. But it won't be until after the current generation of senior citizens passes away. Not only do they oppose it by lopsided margins, they also vote in disproportionately high percentages.
Consider this fact about Florida, a state with an unusually large population of seniors. Four years ago, Obama and an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment shared the Florida ballot. Obama won the state narrowly, the amendment won by a landslide.
And the amendment won 600,000 more votes than Obama.
The president can still win reelection without Florida's treasure trove of electoral votes. But he'd prefer not to risk it, which could be the side effect of a public affirmation of support for gay marriage in a state as competitive as Florida.
I tend to think that despite the much-deserved fanfare over Obama's marriage announcement, most voters this November will be more concerned about the economy than Adam and Steve. And I think the Obama administration knows that, too. It's not as if he will — or could — rest his entire reelection campaign on this decision, right?