Breaking News: Preserve Marriage Washington Concedes Passage of R-74

Preserve Marriage Washington appears to be conceding the fight as of Thursday afternoon.In a statement just emailed to media across the state, Chairman Joseph Backholm said the following:

“With added results showing that we have not closed the gap, it now appears clear that Referendum 74 will be narrowly approved. We are disappointed in losing a tough election battle on marriage by a narrow margin."

He added:

"We knew this was not going to be an easy fight. Washington is a deep blue state and one of the most secular states in the country. Washington has a very high percentage of voters who never attend church, and polling showed that 80 percent of unchurched voters approved of Referendum 74. On top of that, our opponents had a giant financial advantage, outspending us by $10 million, so the odds became even more difficult. Plus, we were fighting Washington’s political establishment and news media—with The Seattle Times taking the unprecedented step of not just endorsing the referendum, but of actively campaigning for its approval. Nevertheless, we ran a strong campaign that we can be proud of—a campaign based on honesty and integrity... We are grateful for the support of tens of thousands of volunteers who stood for the timeless truth that real marriage is between a man and a woman.”