A new Public Policy Polling survey in Maryland finds a significant increase in support for same-sex marriage among African American voters following President Obama’s historic announcement two weeks ago.

The referendum to keep the state’s new law legalizing same-sex marriage now appears likely to pass by a healthy margin, 57% to 37%, a 12 point shift from a similar survey in early March.

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds 53% of Americans say gay marriage should be legal, “hitting a high mark in support while showing a dramatic turnaround from just six years ago, when just 36% thought it should be legal.”

Meanwhile, 39% percent, a new low, say gay marriage should be illegal.

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that President Obama’s support of same-sex marriage seems to have had limited political consequences.

Key finding: 17% said it makes them “much more likely” or “somewhat more likely” they will vote for Obama. That’s compared with a combined 20% who say the announcement will make them more likely to vote for Mitt Romney, who opposes gay marriage. Finally, 62% say the president’s support for gay marriage doesn’t make a difference in their vote.

Although House Republican a few years ago wanted to prohibit gay marriage by amending the U.S. Constitution, Politico notes they’re almost silent on the issue these days.

“It’s been one of the swiftest shifts in ideology and strategy for Republicans, as they’ve come nearly full circle on same-sex politics. What was once a front-and-center issue for rank-and-file Republicans — the subject of many hotly worded House and Senate floor speeches — is virtually a dead issue, as Republicans in Congress don’t care to have gay marriage litigated in the Capitol.”

“Even more than that, Republican leadership has evolved, too. It has quietly worked behind the scenes to kill amendments that reaffirm opposition to same-sex unions.”

BuzzFeed obtained a confidential strategy memo from an anti-gay marriage group, the National Organization for Marriage, with a goal of “fanning the hostility” between black voters and gay voters by casting President Obama as a radical foe of marriage.

“The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies.”

The New York Times has a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a fundraising network “whose goal is to legalize same-sex marriage from coast to coast.”

“This emerging group of donors is not quite like any other fund-raising network that has supported gay-related issues over the past 40 years. They come from Hollywood, yes, but also from Wall Street and Washington and the corporate world; there are Republicans as well as Democrats; and perhaps most strikingly, longtime gay organizers said, there has been an influx of contributions from straight donors unlike anything they have seen before.”

Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren (D) called on President Obama “to finish evolving and support same-sex marriage,” the Washington Blade reports.

Said Warren: “I want to see the president evolve because I believe that is right; marriage equality is morally right.”

She also said she wanted the issue included in the Democratic national platform.

Greg Sargent: “It’s worth noting that even though Warren is running for Senate in Massachusetts, this is not necessarily a politically easy thing for Warren to do. Scott Brown opposes marriage equality, and Warren is under heavy attack right now over cultural issues. Brown and national Republicans are attacking her regularly over her support for Obama’s contraception coverage mandate, which they are falsely portraying as anti-Catholic.”

“Advocates for same-sex marriage turned in enough valid signatures to
get a question on the November ballot,” the Portland Press Herald reports.

“Maine voters rejected gay marriage by a 53-47 percent vote in 2009.
But recent polling shows more Mainers and Americans support gay marriage
than they did three years ago.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Post notes a same-sex marriage bill passed the Maryland Senate, sending it to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) who said he’ll sign the bill into law.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R) “has lost a hair stylist thanks to her position against gay marriage,” KOB TV reports.

“Antonio Darden, a popular stylist who runs Antonio’s Hair Studio in Santa Fe, said he cut Martinez’ hair three times, but that’s it — unless she changes her mind about gay marriage.”

Said Darden: “The governor’s aides called not too long ago, wanting another appointment to come in. Because of her stances and her views on this I told her aides no. They called the next day, asking if I’d changed my mind about taking the governor in and I said no again.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “conditionally vetoed the gay marriage bill and suggested appointing an ombudsman to address complaints of same-sex couples and strengthen New Jersey’s civil union’s law,” the Newark Star Ledger reports.

“Christie conditionally vetoed the bill six hours after it reached his desk, a day after the state Assembly gave the final legislative approval that he said he would not support.”

Rep. Barney Frank’s (D-MA) office has confirmed to NECN that the retiring 71-year-old lawmaker is marrying his longtime partner, Jim Ready, in a Massachusetts ceremony. A date has not been set.

If Frank were to get married before he leaves office in January, he would be the first congressman in a same sex marriage.

“The fact of the matter is, I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South.”

— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by the Philadelphia inquirer, arguing that gay marriage should be decided by voters in a ballot referendum.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told Metro Weekly that he ”absolutely” supports the legalization of same sex marriage in New York.

Said Donovan: ”It made me proud to be a New Yorker — not enough to get me to move back. We’ve got more work to do in the Obama administration in a second term.”

Asked if that included marriage equality, Donovan confirmed it did, saying, “Like marriage equality.”