Fresh on the heels of Maine Governor John Baldacci’s endorsement of No On 1 in Bangor today comes a new SFMM ad.

More below the fold.

The latest Kennebec Journal story here, regarding yesterday’s poll numbers:

A new poll released Monday gives same-sex marriage supporters an 11 percentage point lead over those seeking to reject the new state law.

Yet both sides in the Question 1 debate say they expect nothing short of a barn burner when voters go to the polls one week from today.

“We’ve always said all along we think this is going to be a pretty close election,” said Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for No on 1.

Question 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot asks voters if they want to reject the new state law that allows gay and lesbian couples to marry in Maine. It’s one of seven ballot questions voters will decide.

All campaigns review polls — internal ones and also those done by outside companies. But Connolly and Scott Fish, spokesman for Yes on 1, say they don’t dwell on them.

“They all reflect it’s a close race,” Fish said. “For Yes on 1 supporters, it’s a call to vote.”

Monday’s poll showing a lead for same-sex marriage supporters was quite different from one released by a North Carolina firm last week.

That poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 likely voters, said the Question 1 race was in a 48-48 percent dead heat. Public Policy Polling, which uses automated telephone surveys, said 4 percent were undecided and that the poll had a 3 percent margin of error.

Monday’s poll, by Pan Atlantic SMS Group of Portland, asked 400 likely voters how they plan to vote on the five major questions.

On Question 1, 53 percent indicated they would vote “no,” 42 percent said they would vote “yes” and 6 percent were undecided.

Also, some good stuff here…

For weeks, Mainers have witnessed a back-and-forth operation between supporters and opponents of Question 1. Over the airwaves, the debate has, at times, become bitter, and has been followed by press conferences and rallies.

Now, because of part of the way it’s being funded on one side, the argument has landed in federal court.

“In the Internet age, there’s an increasing risk of harassment and privacy concerns that could come from some of these disclosure requirements and this cuts both ways,” said Josiah Neeley, a national election law attorney from Terre Haute, Ind.

Neely is fighting on behalf of two political organizations from Virginia and Washington, D.C., that are trying to prevent same-sex marriage.

The groups he represents, which are pushing for the Yes on 1 campaign, are battling because they do not believe they need to disclose their list of donors — even though Maine’s election laws say they might have to.

“The statute does not, in any way, restrict what they can raise or spend, or restrict their political speech, but it says you have to report, after the fact, how much you give and raise for the purpose of influencing the vote in Maine,” Maine Assistant Attorney General Phyllis Gardiner said.