In that environment, candidates for governor are juggling wildly different needs for the primaries and the general election.

To score points with partisan voters in the June 2010 primary -- regardless of party -- is to risk harm in the broader arena of the general election.

So Newsom or any other Democrat who gets too bold about same-sex couples in the primary could face a backlash if running as party nominee come November, said Republican strategist Frank Schubert.

"In the general election, it's a huge problem, because it identifies you so closely with a polarizing issue that could define your candidacy," said Schubert, who led the campaign for Proposition 8.