The S.C. Democratic Party takes no position. In 1998, the last time the party voted on a platform, delegates saw no need to issue a statement on gay marriage.

But last week's Massachusetts court ruling supporting gay marriage may highlight the issue in the Democrats' race for the White House. Overall, 59 percent of Americans oppose gay marriage, according to poll results released by the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. the same day as the court ruling.

Some political observers think the gay marriage issue could make a huge difference in South Carolina, which has the first primary in the South.

That's because South Carolina gays never have been an organized, deep-pocketed political force, and blacks, who are expected to make up half the turnout, generally take a traditional view of marriage.

"I would say most black voters don't agree with the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision," said Wofford College political scientist Robert Jeffery. "Marriage is a religious issue and black voters tend to be religious. The candidates probably don't want to be talking about it down here."

Last week, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled the state has no legal reason to deny marriage licenses for gay couples because that state, unlike South Carolina and most others, has no law forbidding it. The court noted that civil marriage is secular and that "no religious ceremony has ever been required to validate a Massachusetts marriage."

"The right to marry means little," the court said, "if it does not include the right to marry the person of one's choice."

Most of the nine Democratic presidential candidates oppose gay marriage but favor recognition of same-sex civil unions. Polls indicate that's a distinction that eludes many voters, who see marriage as marriage without the qualifiers.

Still, the issue likely will come up.

"I think people will ask the candidates about civil unions and gay marriage, particularly in the Democratic debates before the primary," said University of South Carolina political scientist Laura Woliver, who studies gender politics.

The nine Democrats are scheduled to debate on live TV in Greenville on Jan. 29, five days before the South Carolina primary.

"Some of the candidates will state their positions and that will force the others to do so as well," Woliver said.

The Democratic candidates all issued statements reacting to the Massachusetts decision.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio called marriage "a civil right that should not be denied,"

The Rev. Al Sharpton advocated equality for all Americans, regardless of race, color or sexual orientation in every state in the union. Sharpton said he would be happy to perform a same-sex wedding ceremony.

Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun said, "Nobody should be penalized for loving a same-sex partner. In the same way that legal discrimination against interracial partners was wrong, discrimination against same-sex couples is wrong."

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who when governor signed a bill creating civil unions, praised Massachusetts' decision but didn't endorse gay marriage.

"One way or another, the state should afford same-sex couples equal treatment under law in areas such as health insurance, hospital visitation and inheritance rights," Dean said in a statement.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachuesetts, who favors civil unions over gay marriage, said he has supported "equal protection under the law" throughout his career. He doesn't think the ruling will affect the presidential race.

Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, shared that sentiment and, in a statement issued by his campaign, cast the issue in terms of states' rights.

"If the Massachusetts Legislature decides to legalize same-sex marriages, it will be up to each state to decide whether those marriages will be valid. ... And that is a choice each state, not the courts, will have to make," he said.

Clark, who spent three decades in the Army, is routinely asked by voters about his position on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. He believes it should be re-examined and says gays and lesbians should be able to serve in the military.

Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said while "I personally do not support gay marriage, I recognize that different states will address this in different ways, and I will oppose any effort to pass an amendment to the United States Constitution."

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut reiterated his opposition to gay marriage but endorsed Massachusetts' right to define marriage within its borders.

"I have also long believed that states have the right to adopt for themselves laws that allow same-sex unions," Lieberman said in a statement. "I will oppose any attempts by the right wing to change the Constitution."

Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri said he supports a federal law creating civil unions. "We should conform federal law to that solution, and it's realizable," he said.

In Charleston, Warren Redman-Gress, executive director of the gay rights group Alliance for Full Acceptance, said he didn't think the issue would be a dominant factor among South Carolina gay voters.

"I don't believe gay and lesbian voters are single-issue voters," he said. "So I don't think people will choose a candidate on where they come down on equal marriage rights."

Whether the gay marriage issue will die down among Democrats is unclear. But Republicans said it's something they intend to follow.

"This is not going to stop here," said Roberta Combs, of Hanahan, president of the national Christian Coalition. "This is going to be in the forefront for a long time to come."

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