Sen. Marco Rubio says he would go, but Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said, “I haven’t faced that circumstance. I have not had a loved one go to a, have a gay wedding.” | AP Photo Poll: 56 percent of Republicans would attend a gay wedding

Nearly seven in 10 Americans — 68 percent — say they would attend the same-sex wedding of a loved one if they were invited, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll data released Wednesday.

A majority of Republicans — 56 percent — responded that they would.


If they were invited to attend the same-sex wedding “for a relative or friend,” 66 percent of Americans said they would, including 80 percent of Democrats, 53 percent of Republicans and 67 percent of Independents.

Asked whether they would attend the gay wedding merely of “someone you know,” 64 percent of Americans said yes, including 77 percent of Democrats, 52 percent of Republicans and 62 percent of Independents.

The question has become a sort of litmus test for Republican presidential hopefuls. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum says that he would not go to one, but Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says he would go if invited. Others have hedged their answers, like former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has said the “ probably would” go but criticized the line of questioning.

“I haven’t faced that circumstance. I have not had a loved one go to a, have a gay wedding,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told radio show host Hugh Hewitt earlier this month. Cruz then reportedly told a gathering hosted by two gay hoteliers in New York last week that he would not love his daughters any differently if they were gay.

Most recently, former Florida governor Jeb Bush said at an event in Puerto Rico that he hadn’t, quickly adding “that’s not to say I wouldn’t.” (“Claro que sí” — clearly yes, he would go to a gay wedding — he later said in Spanish.)

The poll was conducted April 23-27, surveying 1,752 adults. The sample included 751 Democrats, 567 Republicans and 248 Independents. The overall margin of error is plus-or-minus 2.7 percentage points for all adults, plus-or-minus 4.1 percentage points for Democrats, plus-or-minus 4.7 percentage points for Republicans and plus-or-minus 7.1 percentage points for Independents.