McQuilken (MA Sen.) narrowly loses, recount likely

Some of you might have heard of the state senate special election going on in Massachusetts that is seen by many as a referendum on gay marriage.  Angus McQuilken (D) was very strongly for gay marriage, while his opponent, Scott Brown (R) was strongly opposed, but was in favor of civil unions.  The state GOP and governor Romney have poured considerable time and money into defeating McQuilken.  I was curious what the results were so I looked them up on Boston.com.  With all precincts reporting, both are tied with 50% of the vote, but Brown has declared victory in the race, as he is ahead by some 300 votes.  McQuilken has not conceded and is considering a recount.  

Given the difficulty of Republicans winning in Massachusetts (there are only six currently in the Senate) one wonders how much the gay marriage issue contributed to Brown's strong showing and McQuilken's (likely) defeat.