AUGUSTA -- Craig Kramer, of South China, made phone calls and contacted friends to make sure they voted Tuesday, one of hundreds of volunteers who helped defeat gay marriage at the polls.

Kramer, a Christian who attends Calvary Temple in Waterville, said he's happy with the result but considers the margin of victory -- 53 percent to 47 percent -- close.

"I think more Christians got out to vote than normally would have," he said. "I'm happy with the result, but I understand the sadness on the other side."

An emotional campaign came to an end Tuesday when Maine voters overturned legislative action that would have allowed gay and lesbian couples to marry in Maine.

On Wednesday, those on the losing side said they felt sadness but would continue to work on the issue.

Christine Nichols, of Winslow -- who raises two daughters with her partner, Brenda Nichols -- said she believes that gay marriage "was too much for religious groups."

While they are disappointed, Christine Nichols said they are also glad that both of their daughters are too young to understand what happened.

"They don't know the disappointment or realize how sad we are," she said. "I think that's good."

The Rev. Bob Emrich, of Newport, a lead organizer of the Yes on 1 campaign, said that while both sides launched grass-roots efforts, their supporters came forward because they felt deeply about the issue.

"No on 1 (supporters) were much more organized," he said. "They had that down to a science. They had a remarkable strategy of early identification of voters."

For the Yes on 1 campaign, churches played a key role.

"It's something very core to what a lot of people believe," he said. "We probably will never know how much was done in small rural communities in churches."

Gov. John Baldacci, who signed the bill into law in May, said he listened to the stories of many people throughout the campaign and it convinced him even more of the necessity of the law.

"I want to get to the top of the mountain sooner rather than later," he said Wednesday during an interview in his office. "We are going to get to the mountaintop, but we have to take it in stride and one step at a time."

Baldacci, who originally supported civil unions rather than gay marriages, said there's value in going door to door and making the case during this type of campaign, even if it is ultimately unsuccessful.

"I think this is one in which you can change laws and you can pass laws, but it doesn't change hearts and minds," he said. "We have many miles to travel, but we know for certain the destination, which is equality for all of our people."

Bishop Richard Malone of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland issued a statement early Wednesday thanking those who helped defeat same-sex marriage.

"These past few months have served as a teaching opportunity to explain to parishioners and the wider community about how and why the church views and values marriage as the union of one man and one woman," he wrote.

At a Portland rally where same-sex marriage supporters focused on the future, the overall mood of the gathering was somber.

Some people in the crowd said they had gone into Tuesday night with optimism, only to come crashing down as the numbers turned against them early Wednesday morning.

"It just makes me very, very sad," said Diane Sammer, 49, of Harpswell.

Her partner of 28 years died last year. For many years they wanted to be married in Maine, and their hopes had risen since same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts in 2004.

When Sammer's partner died, Sammer was not allowed to claim the body, and she was excluded from the arrangement process at the funeral home.

"They didn't want to deal with me. They just wanted her parents to come and sign documents," Sammer said. "Because we weren't married, they didn't acknowledge me as a legal participant in her life."

Sammer said she remains hopeful that same-sex marriage one day will be recognized legally in Maine and around the country.

"It will happen," she said. "Why it has to be so much of a struggle, I'll never understand."

Portland Press Herald Staff Writer Trevor Maxwell contributed to this story.

Susan Cover -- 620-7015

scover@centralmaine.com