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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Swing State Voters Mull Obama's Announcement

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: I'm Kirk Siegler at the Centerra Promenade, an outdoor shopping mall in Larimer County, Colorado. It's considered a key swing county within a swing state.

ANDREW CON: I'm not against gays, but I just - I don't approve of it, you know.

SIEGLER: Republican and military veteran Andrew Con is unloading his kids from his car by Macy's.

CON: I'm not really religious, but I believe in the Bible. And in the Bible it states, you know, a man and a woman. It doesn't state two men or two women.

SIEGLER: Across the parking lot, Sandy Sanders says she's planning to vote for Mitt Romney. This was the first she had heard for President Obama's declaration on same-sex marriage.

SANDY SANDERS: Actually, I'm kind of shocked he made the announcement before the election. So, at least people know more where he stands.

SIEGLER: Still, it's not clear how important gay marriage really is for voters in places like this. Larimer County swung in Mr. Obama's favor in 2008, and it's obvious just by walking around this mall that it's not an issue most people feel comfortable talking about with a reporter. For example, Richard, who refused to give his last name because he said the issue is so sensitive, would only say this...

RICHARD: Civil unions are the way to go. That way, they get all the legal rights, and it leaves marriage between a man and a woman.

SIEGLER: A similar case is being made by Colorado's Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper. He called a special session of the state legislature yesterday, ordering lawmakers to reconsider a stalled civil unions bill. For NPR News, I'm Kirk Siegler, in Denver. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

As a correspondent on NPR's national desk, Kirk Siegler covers rural life, culture and politics from his base in Boise, Idaho.