Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

The Four, a liberal group using mostly social media to promote gay marriage in four states, released a new video this week about the push for gay marriage in Maine.

The video features two Maine couples who want to get married and a straight volunteer who goes door to door to talk to people about gay marriage. In a separate effort, the group has enlisted Bruce Springsteen, who emphasizes his view that allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry is a civil rights issue.

The Four is focused on winning gay marriage ballot questions in Maine, Maryland, Washington and Minnesota. Their homepage lists the latest polls, which shows gay marriage support above 50 percent in Maine and Washington, but below it in Maryland and Minnesota.

It will be interesting to see what happens to poll numbers in Maine after the first anti-gay-marriage ads go up on TV next week. For months, opponents have been working to shore up their base in churches and will finally begin their public appeal in the last month of the campaign.

Another thing to note this weekend is that the next round of campaign finance reports are due at midnight Friday. Expect to see supporters still outspending opponents by a large margin, but there should be some big numbers from opponents to report on as well.

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Open Season targets all of Maine's political wildlife, from Portland city government to the donkeys, elephants and independents stalking the Statehouse and U.S. Capitol.

John Richardson joined the Press Herald in 1990 after working as a reporter in New Jersey. He has covered a variety of beats, including marine issues, the environment and health care. He is now covering politics and focusing on Maine's U.S. Senate race.
John can be reached at 791-6324 or jrichardson@pressherald.com
On Twitter: @jrichmaine

Colin Woodard has covered politics and elections for more than two decades, from Bosnia and Bucharest to Washington, D.C., Augusta, and Portland City Hall. He has written for a wide range of national and international publications and is the author of four books, including "American Nations," a history of North America's regional cultures. He joined the Portland Press Herald at the end of April and covers political finance and lobbying, among other things.
Colin can be reached at 791-6317 or cwoodard@pressherald.com

Susan Cover has covered Maine politics for 10 years and worked in Kansas, Ohio and Rhode Island as a reporter. This year, she is focusing on covering the same-sex marriage debate for MaineToday Media.
Susan can be reached at 621-5643 or scover@mainetoday.com

Michael Shepherd joined MaineToday Media in May 2012 after graduating from the University of Maine in Orono, where he edited The Maine Campus, the student newspaper there. Until November he'll be writing the Truth Test, a recurring feature analyzing political statements and advertising.
Michael can be reached at 621-5632 or mshepherd@mainetoday.com

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