WASHINGTON—Last month, a Baltimore Sun poll showed Maryland’s Question 6 would pass by a 49 percent to 39 percent margin, affirming a new state law that redefined marriage to include same-sex couples. But new polling shows a dead heat as African-American voters are leading a significant shift toward traditional marriage in a state President Barack Obama expects to carry by a double-digit margin.

Maryland is one of four states where the battle over marriage is reaching a fevered pitch with five days remaining before Election Day. Maryland, Maine, and Washington state will vote on measures to legalize same-sex “marriage,” while Minnesota is voting to amend its state constitution to permanently ban it.

Traditional marriage supporters are relying mostly on grassroots help and individual donations to fuel their efforts. Same-sex “marriage” advocates are getting individual donations, too, but they come with significantly more money and star power: Bill and Melinda Gates donated $500,000 to the cause in Washington, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos gave $2.5 million. This week, actor Brad Pitt pledged to donate $100,000 to the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C.-based group promoting gay “marriage” that has spent a combined $5 million on the four ballot initiatives.

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