"I believe that NOM is the most effective national advocacy group in the nation," Frank Schubert, the campaign manager for 'Yes on 1 - Stand for Marriage Maine,' said Nov. 6. "We would have lost in Maine if it weren't for NOM. It's as simple as that."

Schubert and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), along with other socially conservative activists, celebrated the defeat of marriage equality in Maine this past week. NOM was one of the two main campaign donors to 'Yes on 1' (the Catholic Diocese of Maine was the other) that financially enabled them to produce anti-gay television ads in the days before the vote, spending a total of $1.8 million.

NOM executive director Brian Brown thanked donors in an e-mail sent to the organization's supporters Nov. 6, and claimed the outcome of Maine's referendum vote as a victory for the activists. Brown went on to forecast the future of the organization's advocacy.

"Same-sex marriage is likely coming up for a vote in New York and New Jersey in the next month," he wrote, noting that NOM does not now have the funding necessary to produce another anti-marriage equality vote in those states. "We've proven we have the team to win, but we don't have the money."

Despite the organization's financial woes, Brown is not concerned about the outcome of NOM's efforts. "We can't wait to extend the victory in Maine to other states," he wrote.