If Obama endorsed same sex marriage, would it help his campaign?

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Net negative. Obama's white union support would see a downturn. People often say they support gay marriage because, in theory, they have no reason not to. When it gets down to a very real decision though, I think you would see a lot of people in the rust belt switch their support over to Romney. He's not an exciting candidate, but he's a fairly safe candidate. Romney will win not because of Romney, but because of Obama. If Obama gives people a reason to feel uncomfortable (like this one), Romney is an okay alternative.

So bottom line: It hurts him in places like Virginia and North Carolina that have traditionally been more conservative. It hurts him in Florida where a lot of older voters live. It hurts him in the rust belt where working-class Democrats are more fiscally liberal than socially liberal. And it could even hurt with Latinos in the West (what are their views on gay marriage?).