Illustration: Todd Franson
A recent poll reported that LGBTQ voters favor Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by a nearly 67-point margin in the upcoming presidential election.
According to the poll, conducted in early August by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in conjunction with the LGBTQ-owned research firm Community Marketing & Insights, 74% of LGBTQ voters plan to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket in November.
About 7.5% of LGBTQ voters plan to vote for the Trump-Vance ticket, with the remainder of LGBTQ voters planning to either select a third-party candidate or planning not to vote.
The poll surveyed 2,490 LGBTQ adults from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Respondents were selected from CMI’s LGBTQ+ Research Panel of 50,000 LGBTQ adults to ensure a diverse set of respondents. Population-based survey weights were used to ensure the sample reflected the demographics of the national LGBTQ population, including race, age, gender identity, educational attainment, and geographic distribution.
Past presidential elections have shown that about 1 in 3 LGBTQ voters will back the GOP ticket in the general election.
Nonetheless, the poll indicates that Harris enjoys overwhelming support from the LGBTQ community compared to Trump, meaning her campaign may seek to micro-target LGBTQ voters online and elsewhere to encourage holdouts or non-voters to become engaged in the election.
The survey also found that 95% of LGBTQ adults said they are registered to vote, demonstrating a higher level of political participation than the average American, which is consistent with findings from prior surveys of LGBTQ Americans.
Other findings were that 14.3% of LGBTQ adults, overall, say they are “somewhat” motivated to vote in this year’s election, with 73% saying they are “very” motivated to vote. The level of motivation rises with age, with 81% of Gen Z voters saying they are motivated to vote, and 95% of those over age 60 saying they are motivated.
The top issues motivating LGBTQ adults to get involved are support for pro-LGBTQ legislation and concerns about pending anti-LGBTQ legislation, support for reproductive rights, concerns about the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court and demands for judicial reform, inflation and the cost of living, and fears around the Heritage Foundation’s now-infamous Project 2025.
More than 92% of LGBTQ adults have heard about Project 2025. Due to Project 2025’s efforts to limit LGBTQ visibility and strip away protections from LGBTQ individuals, the initiative is, unsurprisingly, viewed unfavorably by 93.7% of LGBTQ adults, including 97% of Gen Z LGBTQ adults.
