President Obama has done for Mitt Romney what Romney hasn't been able to do for himself: get evangelicals to rally behind the Republican candidate, reports the Washington Post. The president's public backing of gay marriage has fired up Christian conservatives, and pastors in swing states have Sunday sermons ready to roll against same-sex marriage. Activist groups also plan a barrage of media campaigns in those same states.
“So many people were rather lukewarm toward governor Romney and were really looking for some more tangible reasons to support him,” says the leader of the Citizens for Community Values. "Then lo and behold, it just fell out of the sky when Obama came out and endorsed same-sex marriage." Of course, Obama is seeing a boost among his own base, notes AP, with donations on the rise since his ABC interview. (Click to read about one columnist's warning that Republicans better pay heed to the long-term cultural shift going on in the country.)