Michael Foust of the Baptist Press:

...Conservatives -- who warn that religious liberty will take a hit if those bills pass -- also could win in each of those states. Washington and Maryland allow citizens to place recently enacted laws directly on the ballot, and New Jersey's governor has threatened to veto that state's bill while also urging it to be placed before voters. Elsewhere, North Carolina and Minnesota citizens will consider constitutional amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman. In New Hampshire, the Republican-controlled legislature is poised to vote on a bill that would reverse that state's gay "marriage" law. When including Maine, voters in at least six states could have their say on marriage.

All total, the action in the states could make gay "marriage" a major presidential campaign topic.

"[It is] already shaping up to be a 'make or break' year for marriage in America," Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, a traditional group, wrote in an email to supporters.