Being the Democratic candidate and incumbent, President Barack Obama is already the likely candidate to get much of the gay and lesbian vote in November. However, with his recent revelation about his support for same sex marriage, the gay and lesbian community is coming out strong to support Obama going into reelection.
One way politicians raise funds is through bundlers. Bundlers are supporters who round up funds from their friends and contacts to bring to their candidate of choice. Reports show that a total of 33 Obama bundlers is an open homosexual. That comes to a total of 1 of every 16 bundlers.
In just the first quarter of this year, those 33 bundlers got Obama eight million dollars. The numbers are going to rise drastically in the coming months as we near Election Day.
Big Names Supporting Obama
We already know that Obama is very popular in the celebrity world. He has already received millions from various actors, producers, directors, musicians, and others in the entertainment world through events like George Clooney’s fundraiser.
Unlike his challenger Mitt Romney, Obama has no qualms about releasing his list of donors. This might be because Republican donor lists tend to not be very diverse and usually will only appeal to wealthy white Americans. Republican lists tend to also feature few, if any, homosexual donors. In fact, one of the donors Romney had this year took back his money and redirected it to the Obama campaign after Obama backed same sex marriage, but Romney did not.
Obama’s list includes some well-respected public figures that happen to also be homosexuals. Names include, but are not limited to, award winning actor Neil Patrick Harris, singer Ricky Martin, and television personality and actress Ellen DeGeneres.
Election Effects
How will this effect the election? Many people are adamant that the economy is the driving factor in whether or not a president gets reelected. Right now the state of the economy gives Obama an edge over Romney and if the election were held today, it is likely Obama would win.
However, the Democratic Party is known as the coalition of minorities. In the United States, there are many more Democrats than Republicans. But because they are a coalition of various minority groups, they do not always come out to vote cause they do not always feel that issues prevalent to them are being decided.
However, Obama holds an interesting hand. As an African American, he is likely going to be able to mobilize much of the African American population to vote again as he did in 2008, but maybe to a smaller degree. Obama also appeals to the Latino population and the fact that Republicans tend to take strong stances against immigration does not help Romney. Add to this that Obama’s new stance is likely going to bring out a greater number of gay and lesbian voters and Obama may have enough to put the nail in Romney’s coffin before Election Day even comes.
Romney’s Fight
Some homosexual Republicans are claiming that Romney is not as narrow minded and against homosexuals as he seems. They point to his work to further equality in the work world.
While it is definitely possible Romney has homosexual donors and supporters, it is not likely to be a high number. As much as Romney might be for workplace equality, he is not willing to extend marriage to gays and lesbians.
To be fair, Romney is in a tougher boat than Obama. Obama’s support for same sex marriage is not likely to drive many to vote for Romney in the fall. However, Romney’s stance will either push away homosexual Republicans if he maintains his stance, or it will offend and push away the hardcore and extreme religious Republicans who apparently forgot about the separation of church and state. They may not switch to Obama, but they might just choose not to vote at all.
In an election that is likely to produce a narrow decision, the sway of the homosexual community might be the deciding factor.
Speaking as a lesbian, I don’t think either party should assume that all members of the gay/lesbian/transgender community affiliate with the democratic party. There is a very constituancy of our community that support Romney and other Republican candidates. But there is nothing I enjoy more than a debate with well intelligent, well informed people. This election will certainly give rise to tons of controversy and many points to debate. Unfortunately, time is passing very quicky and Obama hasn’t spent much time actually engaged in re-election activities. I believe it is foolish for him, or any other candidate for that matter, to assume he has any faction “in the bag”. Although I think history will be kind to the memory of Obama. He has accomplished many things that contribute to his legacy including policy changes regarding gays in the military, locating and terminating Osama Bin Laden, bringing the U.S. economy back from near annihilation and of now health care reform.