Republican opposition to gay rights has
declined in the first four states to weigh in on the GOP presidential
nomination, a new poll has found.
Pollsters surveyed 2,000 voters
nationally and 500 registered voters in each of the early nominating
states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, with
roughly 40% being Republicans.
The poll was conducted before the
Supreme Court handed down its landmark ruling last month declaring
that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry in all 50
states.
Fifty-five percent of likely Republican
primary voters in New Hampshire said that they would accept such a
ruling as the law of the land. In Iowa and Nevada, 46% of
Republicans said that they agreed. Opposition was highest in South
Carolina, where 41% of Republicans said that they could accept the
court's decision.
It should be noted that none of these
states were impacted by the court's ruling. That is, all had
marriage equality before the court ruled against state bans.
Nationally, 39% of Republicans support
marriage equality. When asked whether gay couples should have the
same rights as straight couples, 43% of Republicans said yes. Only
33% of Republicans in the national survey support a constitutional
amendment which would define marriage as a heterosexual union.
The
poll was funded by Project Right Side and the American Unity
Fund, both of which are run by Republicans who support gay rights.