MICHAEL BARONE: Gay Marriage A Tricky Issue For Obama, GOP. “As a candidate for U.S. senator and president, Obama said he opposed same-sex marriage. As president, he says he still does but his opinion is ‘evolving.’ This may reflect a split between Democratic core constituencies. Affluent liberals overwhelmingly favor same-sex marriage. But most black voters are opposed. In a 2008 referendum in California, 70 percent of blacks voted against same-sex marriage. A same-sex marriage bill was defeated this year in Maryland after black Democratic legislators opposed it. Same-sex marriage would be legal in California and Maryland were it not for opposition by black voters. Mainstream media reporters pepper Republican presidential candidates with questions about the issue but seldom ask Obama about it. But if it’s a fair question for Republicans, it’s a fair question for Democrats as well.”