Obama Has a Gay-Marriage Headache in 7 States

President Obama’s official embrace of gay marriage will certainly energize some of his supporters, but it’s also sure to give him grief in these seven states, as rounded up by Politico:

• North Carolina: As evidenced by the recently-passed constitutional amendment banning it, gay marriage is not very popular with voters here. And North Carolina is not only a swing state—it will also host this year’s Democratic National Convention.
• Florida: To put it bluntly, senior citizens don’t tend to like gay marriage. Plus, a high percentage of them vote, and a large number of them live in Florida. An anti-gay marriage amendment passed by a landslide in 2008.

• Colorado: Colorado Springs is full of evangelical Christians, megachurches, and huge ministries, including Focus on the Family, which helped to pass an amendment banning gay marriage in 2006.
• Iowa: When the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously decided to allow same-sex marriage in 2009, the backlash was swift: Voters removed three of the justices from the high court. And if history is any indication, the presidential race there is sure to be close.

Click for Politico’s full list. (More President Obama stories.)