Where the Marriage Debate Goes from Here - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

On election night, Minnesotans historically voted down a state amendment that would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman -- but for those who are fighting to make gay marriage legal in the state, the fight is far from over.

In a week that has all but blended together, a contentious debate has moved quickly from a rally to new strategy.

State senator Scott Dibble of Minneapolis says Minnesotans clearly weighed in on marriage, and now leaders need to carefully consider what's next. "We need to pause for just a minute," Dibble said. "This is a huge, huge election, a tremendous outcome, and we need to pause and catch our breath and figure out how to proceed."

Dibble stops short of promising a bill pushing for the legalization of same-sex marriage, as at least one other lawmaker has done, but the openly gay lawmaker says if legislation goes forward, he'll be heading it up.

But that effort to move forward, however cordial it may be, is sure to be met with some harsh opposition for the other side.

Autumn Leva with Minnesota for Marriage says the network of allies fighting for the amendment will continue the bigger battle, and that as long as the conversation continues, they plan to be a part of it.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the Minnesota Family Council, and tens of thousands of volunteers and supporters and groups that got together during the election will still work to preserve marriage as between one man and one woman.

If you missed any of the big races on election night, we still have all the results right here.