'Equality Voters' Stopped the 'Red Wave,' Says New Poll
What the Human Rights Campaign terms “Equality Voters” made the difference in holding back the expected “red wave” in this month’s midterm election, according to a new survey by HRC and polling firm GQR.“The 2022 election defied pre-election predictions of a massive red wave in no small measure because Equality Voters pushed back against extremism and voted to protect commonly held values and our democracy,” says a memo released by HRC and GQR. “Across the country, election deniers and right-wing social warriors lost winnable elections because they advocated views that are out-of-touch with average voters, particularly the huge number of Equality Voters who made the critical difference up and down the ballot.”Equality Voters are those who support LGBTQ+ equality, and HRC counts 62 million of them — 38 percent of the 2022 electorate.
They “tend to be younger and more racially diverse than the electorate as a whole,” HRC says.Related: Maura Healey Becomes First Lesbian Governor in U.S.
HistoryIn U.S. House races, 81 percent of Equality Voters chose the Democratic candidate, according to the poll. They supported Democratic candidates for U.S.
Senate and governor in similar numbers. The 81 percent matches the level of support Equality Voters gave Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race and nearly matches the level of support Black voters delivered this cycle (87 percent).Among self-identified LGBTQ+ voters, who made up a midterm record 7 percent of the 2022 electorate, 80 percent backed U.S.
