Gov. Dayton has called on Republicans to reconsider a proposed amendment that would restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples in the wake of the Amy Koch scandal, but the GOP's new majority leader suggests the amendment will probably still be on the ballot in 2012.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie has submitted the title “Limiting the Status of Marriage to Opposite Sex Couples" to Attorney General Lori Swanson for final approval, the Associated Press reports. Supporters of the constitutional amendment want it titled, "Recognition of Marriage Solely Between One Man and One Woman."

John Taft, CEO of RBC Wealth Management in Minneapolis, is among a handful of Minnesota executives to publicly declare their opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment that should ban same-sex marriage in the state. The Pioneer Press reports Taft is working behind the scenes to build a safety-in-numbers that will allow more high-profile business leaders to speak out against the amendment before the November election.

Supporters of the constitutional marriage amendment have filed a lawsuit asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to change the ballot title question back to “Recognition of marriage solely between one man and one woman." Last month, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and Attorney General Lori Swanson changed the tittle voters will see in November to “Limiting the status of marriage to opposite sex couples.”

Public Policy Polling says Mark Dayton is one of the most popular governors in the country, with 53 percent of voters approving of his work in office and just over a third disapproving. The latest survey also says a vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage could be close: 48 percent say they support it, while 44 percent are opposed.

Religious involvement in the debate over the marriage amendment may be stronger in Minnesota than it's been in any of the 30 states that have voted on a definition of marriage. The state's largest denomination, the Catholic church, supports the amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a number of Jewish synagogues oppose it.

Obama's Minnesota campaign team on Monday said the president opposes a constitutional amendment that would limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. "While the President does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples," a spokeswoman said.

WCCO reports nearly 1,000 representatives of the Lutheran church will vote in an assembly Friday on whether to officially oppose a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples.