President Barack Obama picked the day after a decisive vote in North Carolina to announce that his "evolution" on the issue of same-sex marriage was complete—he now supports it.

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Obama said:

I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage—at a certain point, I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.

Maryland is one of as many as four states that could put the issue in front of voters this fall, ABC News reports, but it's unclear how much impact the president's endorsement will have. The Maryland General Assembly in February. The bill does not take effect until Jan. 1, which gave opponents time to gather petitions required to send the bill to referendum in November's general election.

ABC broadcasted a special report with clips from the interview just before 3 p.m. Wednesday. The full interview with Obama is scheduled to air on "Good Morning America" on May 10. North Carolinians voted overwhelmingly to amend that state's constitution to outlaw same-sex marriages and civil unions on Tuesday.

Amy Becker, an assistant professor of communication at , said most observers expected Obama to make this announcement after the November election.

But his hand may have been forced, she said, by Vice President Joe Biden, who on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday described himself as "absolutely comfortable" with same-sex marriage. On Monday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan also came out in favor of same-sex marriage.

The president's stance is now front and center in an election year. In contrast, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Obama's presumptive Republican challenger, publicly opposes same-sex marriage. "The Republicans are going to pick up and run with this and a lot of people in the news media are going to speculate about what this means for the presidential race," Becker said. "While a lot of people argue it's the right move, it might not be the safest move, politically."