Democrats have 13 times as many LGBT-friendly candidates as Republicans
Democratic Senate candidates Mazie Hirono, Beto O’Rourke and Elizabeth Warren (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP/Getty and Zach Gibson/Getty and Tom Reel-Pool/Getty)
Only 32 Republican candidates in the midterm elections have responded to a survey about their LGBT+ beliefs — and nearly half weren’t classified as an ally.
In contrast, the survey, conducted by LGBT+ rights group GLAAD, received 240 responses from Democrats running for Congress, governor or lieutenant governor, of which 99 percent achieved a rating of “Ally” from the organisation.
This means that the Democrats have 13 times as many openly LGBT-friendly candidates as the Republicans ahead of the midterm elections on November 6.
The midterms represent the first chance for many to vote since the 2016 presidential election (Sean Rayford/Getty)
More than 1,100 candidates were asked about whether they would feel comfortable if there was an LGBTQ person at their place of worship, in their family, acting as their doctor or working as their child’s teacher.
They were also questioned about how they would feel if they saw an LGBTQ coworker’s wedding picture or a same-sex couple holding hands, or if their child was taught about LGBTQ history in school.
If the politicians answered that they were comfortable with all seven hypothetical scenarios, they received a rating of “Ally.”
Heidi Heitkamp, whose Senate seat in North Dakota is under threat, got an “Ally” rating (Mark Wilson/Getty)
If they felt uncomfortable about any of the situations described, they were dubbed a “Detached Supporter,” while those who said they were uncomfortable with every scenario were called a “Resistor.”
Of the more than 450 Republicans who were sent the survey, only 32 replied — just seven percent — and just over half — 55 percent — were given an “Ally” rating.
The one Republican running for the Senate who responded to the inaugural survey, Connecticut’s Matthew Corey, received a “Detached Supporter” classification.
Jacky Rosen, a Democrat in a tight race for a Senate seat in Nevada, was dubbed an “Ally” (Ethan Miller/Getty)
And the only candidate from either of the major parties to respond to the survey and get a “Resistor” rating was John Verbeek, a Republican standing for the House of Representatives in Oregon.
GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said that “Americans deserve to know if the candidates they are putting in positions to make important decisions about their lives, their families, and their communities match their own levels of comfort and acceptance when it comes to LGBTQ people.”
She added that the results were clearly more favourable for the Democrats.
“Acceptance should never be a partisan issue, but the paltry response from Republican candidates is unfortunate and the latest sign that creating an America where LGBTQ Americans are accepted is not a priority for their party,” said Ellis.
Ted Cruz, the anti-LGBT Texas politician who is up for reelection to the Senate, did not respond to the survey, unlike his Democratic opponent Beto O’Rourke, who has raised a huge $61 million in his attempt to unseat Cruz and received an “Ally” rating from GLAAD.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz did not respond to the survey (Justin Sullivan/Getty)
In Tennessee, where people were told by pop star Taylor Swift to vote against the anti-LGBT Republican candidate for Senate, Marsha Blackburn, five out of the 11 Democrats responded and were all dubbed an “Ally.”
No Republicans in the state sent their surveys back.
