Two longtime anti-gay activists are planning to step up opposition to the marriage equality ballot measure that will be on Maine's November ballot, the AP reports:
Michael Heath and Paul Madore said Tuesday they've formed the No Special Rights PAC to oppose November's ballot measure asking voters if same-sex marriage should be legalized.
Heath and Madore have held leadership roles going back to the early 1990s opposing gay rights and gay marriage initiatives in Maine. Heath was executive director of the Christian Civic League for 15 years until his resignation in 2009, and Madore once headed a group called Maine Grassroots Coalition that opposed sexual orientation laws.
Madore said he's ready to "take off the gloves" in the campaign leading up to November's election.
The PAC has not begun fundraising yet. A recent PPP poll was hopeful for marriage equality supporters:
It looks like Maine voters will reverse their 2009 decision and legalize gay marriage in the state this fall. 54% think that gay marriage should be legal to only 41% who think it should be illegal. And when we asked about the issue using the exact language voters will see on the ballot this fall, they say they're inclined to support the referendum by a 47-32 margin.