Gay Marriage Positions Won't Impact Virginia Presidential Vote

A new Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday shows Barack Obama leading Mitt Romney 47 to 42 in Virginia.  Probably more distressing to the Christofascists at The Family Foundation (which truly deserves a "hate group" designation in my view), most Virginians say that Barack Obama's personal endorsement of same sex marriage will have little or no effect on their vote in November,  Other bad news for Bob "Governor Ultrasound" McDonnell is that adding Taliban Bob to the GOP national ticket does nothing to boost Romney in Virginia.  The Richmond Times-Dispatch looks at the poll results.  Here are highlights:

President Barack Obama leads Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney 47 percent to 42 percent in Virginia, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning that indicates that Obama's lead would remain if Gov. Bob McDonnell were the GOP running mate.

The survey also shows Virginia voters oppose same-sex marriage 49–42 percent, but only 25 percent say it is “extremely important” or “very important” in deciding how they will vote for president. Sixty percent of those polled said Obama’s support for same-sex marriage won’t affect their vote.

A Romney-McDonnell ticket facing Obama and Vice President Joe Biden puts the Democrats ahead 48–43 percent.  Obama still posts a wide lead among women, 51–35 percent, while men go 49–44 percent for Romney.

“President Barack Obama remains ahead in Virginia, but he is hearing Gov. Mitt Romney’s footsteps.  His lead over Romney is built upon a continuing gender gap that favors him – essentially the president stays close among men while he is very strong among women,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

On Obama's support for same-sex marriage, 14 percent of those polled said it made them more likely to vote for him while 24 percent said they were less likely. Because of Romney’s opposition to same-sex marriage, 21 percent of voters are more likely to support him while 23 percent are less likely and 53 percent said it will not affect their vote.