 This coalition of campaign efforts and partners enabled progressive movements to align strategy and increase efficiency, and positioned the Party for big wins in 2012, including taking back majorities in both the state House and state Senate, becoming the first state in the nation to defeat a Constitutional Amendment to ban same sex marriage, beating back a Voter ID Amendment, reclaiming the MN-08 Congressional seat with the election of Congressman Rick Nolan, and keeping Minnesota in the blue column for President Obama.The 2014 cycle brought additional success as the Minnesota DFL under Martin's leadership reelected, by large margins, two office holders in Governor Mark Dayton and U.S.Senator Al Franken who each won their first elections by less than 1% of the vote.