As the last 100 days before election day wind down, groups opposing the Minnesota marriage amendment are gearing up.

The amendment would write a ban on same-sex marriage into the state constitution, reflecting a law currently on the books in Minnesota and making it harder for future legislatures to legalize same-sex marriage.

Thursday, the activist group Freedom To Marry launched the first of several television ads that will run in Minnesota over the next several weeks. It shows a Duluth couple walking through a forested park and sitting on a bench, reminiscing about their 59 years of marriage.

"The (last) 59 years have basically been the happiest of my entire life," Fred Peterson, one of the ad's subjects says. "Gay and lesbian people want to get married for the same reason that I wanted to marry my wife. Why shouldn't other people be able to enjoy the happiness and the love that we've enjoyed through our lifetime?"

According to Minnesota Public Radio, the ad buy was in "the mid-six figures," and is significant because it features an older, white couple supporting same-sex marriage. These voters are typically among the strongest opponents of same-sex marriage.

Rabbi Michael Latz, of Southwest Minneapolis' Shir Tikvah synagogue, appeared in an online ad urging voters to oppose the marriage amendment earlier this month.

As of 1:45 p.m. on Friday, the Fredom to Marry video had 17,851 views on YouTube after only a day online. A video of a Catholic priest speaking in favor of same-sex marriage at an Edina church enjoyed similar success earlier this summer.