Politico / Morning Consult has released a new poll in which they asked voters about the possibility of electing a president who is gay.
According to the poll results, 50 percent of voters are definitely or probably ready for a gay or lesbian president, while 37 percent say they are definitely or probably not ready, with 13 percent undecided.
Asked if America was ready for a gay president, 40 percent of voters said yes, definitely or probably, while 45 percent said definitely or probably not.
The voters polled are less sure their neighbors are ready. When asked if their neighbors are ready, just 26 percent said yes, definitely or probably, while 46 percent said definitely or probably not.
Said Tyler Sinclair, Morning Consult's vice president: “[Buttigieg's sexuality] may be an issue for some voters as he remains in contention for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Notably, 58 percent of Republicans, 32 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats say they aren't ready for a gay or lesbian president. The comparative figures not ready for a female president are 36 percent of Republicans, 15 percent of independents and 8 percent of Democrats.”
NYT columnist Frank Bruni ponders that topic in a new column, in which he cites a few past polls, though not the most recent one: “In a Gallup poll published in May, 83 percent of Democrats — and 82 percent of independents — said that they'd be willing to vote for a gay presidential candidate. That leaves a significant percentage who wouldn't. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published the following month showed that among all voters, 34 percent were less likely to vote for a gay candidate. But that figure was lower than the 48 percent who said they were less likely to support a candidate over 70 — as Trump, Biden, Warren and Bernie Sanders will all be in November 2020.”
Adds Bruni: “For all its potential drawbacks, Buttigieg's sexual orientation can be woven into his personal narrative to powerful effect, humanizing him, making him more approachable rather than less, forging a bridge to other minorities, establishing a familiarity with struggle and thus a capacity for empathy. All of that hinges on how deftly he integrates it into his remarks. And on that front, he has been deft enough that, in my view, being gay doesn't automatically doom him. His age and degree of experience — he's the mayor of a city, South Bend, Ind., of just 100,000 people — are arguably greater vulnerabilities, and his fate won't be anything close to a referendum on gay equality.”
And in other Buttigieg news, Deadline reports that he led all other candidates in fundraising from sources in the entertainment industry in the most recent quarter: ‘Pete Buttigieg again led all other candidates in fundraising from showbiz sources in the most recent quarter, drawing contributions during the period from such figures as Michael J. Fox, Jennifer Garner, Seth MacFarlane and David Mandel. Buttigieg raised $262,059 during the quarter, edging out Kamala Harris, who raised $230,716, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. Joe Biden raised $184,522 during the third quarter, which ended on Sept. 30. Harris still leads in the Hollywood money race over all, with $1.1 million to Buttigieg's $922,385 and Bernie Sanders with $605,533.'
