Schwarzenegger and Brown made the decision not to defend Proposition 8 after U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker shot down its ban on same-sex marriage, calling it unconstitutional. The battle has now moved to a federal appeals court.

But now, both Republican candidates -- Meg Whitman for governor and Steve Cooley for attorney general -- say the state should defend Proposition 8. They could do that if elected.

Palm Springs resident Geoff Kors, who runs Equality California, told me, "Yes, the election of Whitman or Cooley could have a dramatic affect on the Proposition 8 trial. Even though the deadline to appeal in the 9th Circuit has passed, a new governor or AG could request to file a brief in the case and would likely be allowed to file a brief, and the state's opinion would likely be given significant weight by the court."

And, Kors says, "In addition, depending on the outcome, the case likely will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the governor or AG would likely file a brief stating the state's position, and if the case is remanded back to the trial court whoever is our AG would very likely be able to re-enter the case as a defendant."

Because of that, Equality California has been running TV ads here in the Coachella Valley and elsewhere, urging Whitman and Cooley not to spend taxpayers' dollars to defend Proposition 8, should either of them win.