Statewide, debate over Amendment One spurs mobilization on both sides of the issue

From The Associated Press, as published by The Hendersonville Times-News (blueridgenow.com):

In an election year that was supposed to be all about jobs and the economy, the issue that’s energized North Carolina’s sleepy May 8 primary has turned out to be a philosophical clash over what constitutes a marriage.

Indie rockers, preachers, county commissioners and business owners are all staking out positions on the constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, a question that will be put to voters when early balloting begins Thursday….

But the lines of demarcation have also been more blurry than in traditionally partisan fights. Among the opponents are Republican Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, a tea party favorite; John Hood, head of the conservative John Locke Foundation; the state Libertarian Party; and Richard Vinroot, the former Republican mayor of Charlotte and onetime GOP gubernatorial nominee. …