Clinton and Trump – Photos: ABC News / Ida Mae Astute
Even though this year’s election contest isn’t based on popularity, it’s clear Hillary Clinton is winning when it comes to that metric, at least among LGBT Americans. According to Gallup, LGBT people view the Democratic nominee more positively, and Republican nominee Donald Trump less favorably, than their non-LGBT counterparts do.
Based on Gallup Daily tracking from June to September of more than 450 individuals each month who identify as LGBT, as well as 282 surveyed from Oct. 1-20, Clinton enjoys a 55% favorability rating, while Trump only enjoys a 12% favorability rating. For comparison purposes, Clinton is viewed favorably by only 41% of non-LGBT people, while Trump is viewed favorably by 32%.
Most fascinating is that while Gallup polling of the overall population shows Clinton and Trump appealing to different groups of voters based on race or ethnicity, those same disparities do not exist among the LGBT community. For instance, Trump is only viewed favorably by 13% of white LGBT voters, and by 11% of non-white LGBT voters, while Clinton is viewed positively by 54% and 57%, respectively. Among the genders, a higher number of LGBT males view Trump positively (16%) than their female counterparts (9%), while Clinton’s favorability lies in the mid-50s among LGBT men and women.
Clinton does worst among LGBT voters aged 18 to 34, only 46% of whom view her favorably. But her favorability shoots up to the mid-6os among those LGBT people aged 35-54, and those over 55. Conversely, Trump gets his best numbers from LGBT people over age 55, at 21 percent, compared to the 12 percent favorability rating he enjoys among people aged 35-54 and 10 percent among those aged 18-34.
There is very little fluctuation between LGBT and non-LGBT voters when it comes to those who identify as Democrats or independents. But while two-thirds of non-LGBT Republicans have a favorable view of Trump, only 51% of LGBT Republicans do. Clinton also does better among LGBT Republicans, at 19%, than their non-LGBT counterparts, where her favorability registers at 8%.
Gallup senior researcher Gary Gates notes that although vote preferences cannot be inferred from favorability ratings alone, Clinton would appear to have an advantage when it comes to who LGBT voters will select as the next president. Democrats have traditionally earned most of the LGBT votes in past elections, including 2012, when President Barack Obama earned 76% of the votes of those identifying as LGBT, compared to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who earned a mere 22%.
Gates notes that, in 2012, due to the relative tightness of the race between Obama and Romney, the 5% of LGBT voters, who overwhelmingly favored Obama, in the swing states of Florida, Ohio, Virginia and Colorado played a more significant role in the president’s victory. But in a Clinton-Trump race, her margin over his is greater, creating more room for error.
“Assuming that favorability translates into votes, Gallup polling on the images of the two candidates suggests that Clinton, similar to Obama, will garner the lion’s share of LGBT support,” Gates writes. “But unless the race tightens, it’s unlikely that LGBT support will play a decisive role in determining the next president.”
An irate customer at a Florida Starbucks was arrested after throwing a tantrum over a Pride flag hanging on the wall.
Police say Tucker Alden Kemp, 31, of Clearwater, entered a Starbucks in St. Petersburg around 9:16 a.m. on October 22. Once inside, he took offense at a Pride flag and asked to speak with the manager, insisting it was offensive and should be replaced with an American flag.
When the manager refused, citing store policy, Kemp allegedly "decided to take matters into his own hands," according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun.
The Boston Police Department has released photos of eight men suspected of involvement in an alleged hate crime against a gay couple in the city’s Mattapan neighborhood earlier this month. The images, several of them blurry, depict men of varying ages: one in a Red Sox hat with a white shirt and jacket; another with a small white beard wearing a Bass Pro Shop hat and black shirt; and a third, bald and in a maroon V-neck, sporting round sunglasses.
The other five suspects are pictured in varied outfits: a long-sleeved white shirt with jeans and white sneakers; an olive long-sleeve shirt with jeans; a black T-shirt and jacket with light blue pants, with hair in braids; a red sweatshirt with matching shorts; and a black-and-white tracksuit.
California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a gay lawmaker long targeted by the right for his progressive record on LGBTQ rights and criminal justice reform, is reportedly planning to run for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) congressional seat in 2026, according to The San Francisco Standard.
At 85, Pelosi -- a two-time Speaker of the U.S. House -- has largely receded from the political spotlight, creating an opening for challengers in her heavily Democratic district. She has not yet said whether she plans to seek another term.
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