Poll: Majority of Voters Unaffected by Obama Marriage Stance

President Obama’s endorsement of marriage equality appears unlikely to be a major political liability: 60% of respondents in a new USA Today/Gallup poll say it won’t affect their vote in the presidential election.

“Twice as many say it will make them less likely to vote for Obama as say more likely, though roughly half of the ‘less likely’ group are Republicans who probably would not support Obama anyway,” notes a Gallup news release. The support appears likely to cost him votes among Republicans and independents, while gaining him votes, in smaller numbers, among Democrats and other independents.

While “his new position is more of a net minus than a net plus for him,” Gallup reports, the numbers indicate that “it is a relatively limited group of voters — about one in three independents and fewer than one in 10 Republicans or Democrats — whose votes may change as a result of Obama’s new stance on gay marriage.”

The poll also finds 51% of respondents support Obama’s position. It was conducted Thursday, the day after the president endorsed marriage equality, and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.