MN Gov. Mark Dayton endorses same-sex marriage in State of the State Address

http://kstp.com/news/stories/s2922060.shtml

While most of Dayton's speech focused on the budget, his brief mention of support for same-sex marriage marked a step forward for that issue's prospects at the Capitol. Dayton has previously supported same-sex marriage but had been reluctant to endorse a planned legislative push on the issue in 2013.

Dayton stopped short of definitively demanding a gay marriage bill on his desk this year. But after the speech, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk - who also had been tentative about a gay marriage push in the Legislature this year - said a bill could start moving at the Capitol in April, after lawmakers finish the budget. Bakk also said he would vote to legalize gay marriage if it gets to the Senate floor.

GOP leaders said discussions of gay marriage should take a back seat to budget deliberations. Dayton, while acknowledging the issue is contentious, said he believes "every Minnesotan should have the freedom to marry legally the person he or she loves, whether of the same or other sex."