Earlier I cited centrist Democratic think tank Third Way's poll on marriage equality support in Washington, where same-sex marriages just got underway. Well, that report, showing that framing marriage equality as a matter of love, rather than rights wins the fight, is now out.
Here's a telling excerpt about movement among political lines:
The victory for marriage in Washington State was delivered by voters well outside the usual liberal base. Centrist voters supported the marriage refer- endum by large margins, with 66% of moderates voting yes, as well as 59% of Independents.
…
Unlike past elections—including Proposition 8 in California, where Democrats had trouble consolidating their own base in favor of marriage—this time 80% of Obama voters pulled the lever for marriage, as well as 86% of Democrats. Even 79% of moderate and conservative Democrats voted in favor of marriage for gay couples, as well as 38% of liberal and moderate Republicans.The biggest takeaway of the marriage vote in Washington is that the center is now squarely on the side of marriage advocates. The striking margins of sup- port for the referendum among moderates (+33) and Independents (+21) are indisputable, and they mark both a significant shift and a tipping point for the country on this issue.
Also, a breakdown of who was for and against marriage:
Here's a
PDF of their report, as well as a
PDF of the core findings.