Dallas County could be trending Democratic. But it remains staunchly conservative – at least when it comes to marriage.

Voters here strongly supported the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex unions. The proposition did slightly better statewide than in Dallas County, but it still drew nearly two-thirds support in a county where gay and lesbian political organizations, such as the Stonewall Democrats and the Log Cabin Republicans in Dallas, have considerable clout.

What's more, just a year ago, the county elected Democrat Lupe Valdez, a lesbian, as sheriff. Democrats won three countywide judicial posts, too, and the home-state incumbent president barely carried Dallas County.

With momentum on Democrats' side, the lightly attended proposition election was the first test of whether they could flex muscle the way party leaders did last year.

This time, though, the dynamics were different.

The gay marriage question essentially fractured the Democratic base. Black and Hispanic church leaders were urging their congregations to vote for the proposition. They were joined by conservative whites who don't often vote Democratic.

That political union probably won't last into next year, however. Democrats have targeted Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill and County Judge Margaret Keliher specifically and expect to contest every countywide office.

Unless some unexpected social issue appears on countywide ballots, the results should be much closer.

E-mail gjeffers@dallasnews.com