A poll released Wednesday shows that
only half of Americans are ready for an openly gay president.
The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll of
1,997 registered voters found 50 percent of respondents either
“definitely” or “probably” ready for an openly gay president,
while 37 percent said they were either “definitely” or “probably”
not ready.
When asked whether the nation was ready
for an openly gay president, 40 percent said yes, while 45 percent
said no.
The question is relevant to the
Democratic presidential campaign of Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay
mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Buttigieg is the nation's first gay and
married presidential candidate.
Buttigieg
has previously said that the United States is ready for a gay
president.
Buttigieg's sexuality “may be an
issue for some voters as he remains in contention for the 2020
Democratic nomination,” said
Tyler Sinclair, Morning Consult's vice president. “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.”
The news comes after a McClatchy focus
group found that Black voters were less likely to support Buttigieg's
campaign in part because of his sexuality.