Turns Out, Most Americans Are Actually Cool With a Gay Person Running for President

Are most Americans comfortable with a gay politician running for President of the United States? According to a recent poll, the answer is “yes.”

The survey, conducted by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal back in February, found that a whopping 68% of Americans are totally fine with a gay or lesbian politician shooting their shot for a tenure in the Oval Office. That figure includes 54% who said they’re “comfortable” with a gay presidential candidate and 14% who were “enthusiastic” about the prospect.

The kicker? It’s a stark contrast to a 2006 poll asking the same question, which found that more than half of Americans were “very uncomfortable” (34%) or had “reservations” (19%) about a gay person running for president.

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GLSEN

This year’s survey also showed that attitudes have shifted across generations, including a significant uptick (more than 20%) in support for queer candidates from voters ages 65 and up.

Of course, the 2019 edition of this poll packs an even greater punch, since the U.S. could very well have its first gay Democratic nominee for the presidency. Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has received enough individual donations to his campaign to compete onstage at the first DNC debate for the 2020 presidential race.

This is just a preliminary analysis, but our team’s initial report shows we raised over $7 million dollars in Q1 of this year. We (you) are out-performing expectations at every turn. I'll have a more complete analysis later, but until then: a big thank you to all our supporters. pic.twitter.com/rDmTEiTfCs — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 1, 2019

He’s also raised some $7 million from campaign donors in the first quarter of 2019, a feat he took to Twitter to share.

So, does Mayor Pete have a fighting chance in the primaries for 2020? Only time will tell, although he definitely wins points for being so #relatable. (He met his husband on a gay dating app, damn it!)