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08/23/08-08/25/08

Poll: Most Americans Would Support Gay Presidential Candidate

Poll: Most Americans Would Support Gay Presidential Candidate

Following an Advocate article pondering the electability of an openly gay candidate for president, a new nationwide poll from Zogby International found that 65% of likely voters would support an openly gay person to serve as president of the United States if they believed he or she was the most qualified person for the post.

The results were similar for a vice presidential candidate, with 66% saying they would back a gay VP whom they believed had the right skill set, and 69% said they would support an out candidate for the U.S. Senate. More than 70% of respondents said they would support an openly gay person to serve as a cabinet-level secretary.

“These results prove that most Americans want to be fair to gay people,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute, a nonpartisan leadership development organization. "Our aspiration is to always see each other as individuals first, and though we may not always succeed at that, our underlying fairness and decency means that one day soon we will. This marks tremendous progress for our community and for the voting public."

The poll of 1,089 adults, conducted August 13–15 for GLLI, had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. (The Advocate)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: The Threshold
    Date posted: 2008-08-26 1:06 AM
    Hometown: USA

    Comment:

    Some say Abraham Lincoln was in the closet himself which isn't too far fetched. He kept a journal and wrote poems about homosexuality. There's also talk about guard(s) having spent the night in his room. He always looked kind of different to me then the other men in his day. He groomed hismelf a little more than usual. I always got the sense that it may have been a possibility while looking at his pictures. It's amazing though, but not ironic how quickly people often conservatives will dispute this, but they dispute almost anyone even Shakespeare. Afterall they don't want a gay president to have existed, esp. not the man who ended slavery. Many blacks feel that gays are just saying this to gain sympathy from blacks and support for gay rights.


  • Name: J.E. Green author of MERGING WITH MONSTERS
    Date posted: 2008-08-23 10:56 AM
    Hometown: Denver, CO

    Comment:

    Sounds to me like people like so many people who say they would vote for Senator Obama if he had "more experience." The jury is still out regarding whether America is ready to vote a Black man and his BLACK FAMILY into the White House. People are not HONEST when it comes to inquiries regarding their often poorly concealed prejudices. Just Keepin' it Real, folks! Peace!


  • Name: Rick Stofer
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 11:19 PM
    Hometown: Coconut Creek, Florida

    Comment:

    We've already had a gay president. His name was James Buchanan. Although he could not be "out" at the time, there was still a lot of speculation about his sexuality while he was in office. Yes, it is only speculation, but what about: Alexander the Great, Roman Emperor Hadrian, Michaelangelo, et al. We can really only speculate about them, but there sure is a lot of evidence pointing toward their gayness.


  • Name: BeachcomberT
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 10:17 PM
    Hometown: Daytona Beach

    Comment:

    Let's break 2 glass ceilings at once -- gay and Jewish. I nominate Rep. Barney Frank, widely regarded as one of the most intelligent and wittiest members of Congress. Some gay people and many trangender people dislike his incrementalist approach to ENDA, but compromise and incrementalism are what American politics is all about.


  • Name: Check Peters
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 6:51 PM
    Hometown: Maplewood NJ

    Comment:

    A NY politician told me it was an open secret about Jim McGreevey's homosexuality, and that the big question always was: "Can we elect a gay Governor?" And the answering question is: "Who's he running against?" Ho is that for cynical?


  • Name: Jeff
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 4:32 PM
    Hometown: Cincinnati

    Comment:

    Aren't they about 150 years too late? James Buchanan was a flamer back in the 1850s and he was our 15th president. His niece served as "first lady." Sadly, he was one of our worst, but that's not related to his sexuality.


  • Name: Philip
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 3:20 PM
    Hometown: Phoenix

    Comment:

    It took Obama winning in Iowa, a State that is overwhelmingly white, before the majority of African Americans started to believe America would seriously consider electing a black President. I think it is going to take a similar event before the majority of gay Americans start believing America will seriously consider electing a gay President. I guess it makes sense that historically oppressed groups have to be proven wrong before letting go of mistrust long enough to start believing things have really changed.


  • Name: Terzian
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 2:57 PM
    Hometown: Bowling Green, OH

    Comment:

    I'm going to have to call some severe BS on this poll. C'mon, guys... roughly 1000 people will NEVER represent the American public accurately. The pool of voters polled was simply too small. Also, where did these potential voters come from?n If they're all from the same area of the country, then the poll is going to be very far off. Even if it's stratified, you wouldn't have enough people from the different regions, walks of life, ages, etc. to get an accurate fix. Come back when you've polled 10,000 people... and then we'll talk. By they way... you can add me to the list of WOULD vote for, if qualified otherwise. - Terz


  • Name: David Barrett
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 2:11 PM
    Hometown: Silverlake, CA

    Comment:

    Are you guys kidding? Come on! Ridiculous. So which is it? President Leather Daddy or President Twink? I can see it all now: Hail to the Queen. The simple fact that someone is spending money conducting these polls is crazy. Someone has far too much money or time on their hands. And by the way, how about a lesbian President? (Hail to the Butch?) Oh, wait. Hillary lost. Hmmm....


  • Name: Empire
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 2:09 PM
    Hometown: New York, NY

    Comment:

    Who would have thought a couple of years ago that a black man with foreign name could deny a former first lady for a major party nomination? Anything is possible with the right candidate. Yes we can :)


  • Name: David
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 1:58 PM
    Hometown: Jackson, OH

    Comment:

    I hope we do some day soon get a gay President. Then when we have people enlist in the military we will be able to say "Do Ask and Do Tell".


  • Name: Jerry
    Date posted: 2008-08-22 1:37 PM
    Hometown: Dallas

    Comment:

    Please let it be Anderson Cooper!


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