On October 25, 2012, President Obama endorsed Referendum 74 in Washington, Question 1 in Maine, and Question 6 in Maryland, all of which would grant equal marriage rights to same-sex couples. He had previously indicated his opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment in Minnesota that would ban same-sex marriage.

In Washington, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that Obama for America spokesman Paul Bell released the following statement: "While the president does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the president believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect. Washington's same-sex marriage law would treat all Washington couples equally, and that is why the President supports a vote to approve Referendum 74."

Similar statements were released in regard to the Maine and Maryland campaigns.

In April, the Obama campaign released a statement opposing the Minnesota amendment: ""[T]he Minnesota ballot initiative . . . would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples--and that's why the President does not support it."

Of President Obama's announcement on October 25, Freedom to Marry's Evan Wolfson issued the following comment: "Today President Obama added a strong and personal 'I do' to voters still making up their minds on whether to support the freedom to marry in Maine, Maryland, and Washington this election, and Freedom to Marry applauds the president's moral leadership in standing up for families, fairness, and freedom."

He added, "As the president said in May, 'Same-sex couples should be able to get married . . . when we think about our faith, it's also the golden rule.' The right thing to do on these ballot-measures is to vote to treat others just as you would want to be treated--and let loving and committed couples share in the freedom to marry."

Meanwhile, President Obama figures prominently in a radio ad receiving saturation play in Maryland. The ad, targeted to African-American voters, may be heard below.

Finally, in an interview with MTV on October 26, 2012, President Obama predicted that the Defense of Marriage Act will be overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States.

He also said that "the evolution that's taking place in this country will get us to a place where we are going to be recognizing everybody fairly and I'm very proud of that fact that as president I've got a track record of not just talking the talk on this, but walking the walk: ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell, making sure that federal employees are treated equally when it comes to their partners, and I'm going to keep pushing as hard as I can."

An excerpt from the interview may be viewed below, courtesy of Towleroad.