Friday, August 21, 2015

ICYMI: "Poll: House Incumbents Who Oppose LGBT Rights Lose Support"

New polling released by the Human Rights Campaign this week showed significant support for the new Equality Act in swing House Districts across the country. The Equality Act – which was introduced with a record number of original cosponsors -- would ensure permanent non-discrimination protections for LGBT Americans. View the polling HERE.

“This polling shows that members of Congress – regardless of their party – have every reason to join the rest of the country and support the Equality Act,” said JoDee Winterhof, Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs. “Poll after poll has shown that people believe that everyone should live free from fear of discrimination and have a fair chance to earn a living and provide for their families, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.”

The Equality Act would help address the lack of clear, fully-inclusive non-discrimination protections in 31 states across the country where LGBT Americans can get legally married but remain at risk of losing their job or being denied services for who they are who they love. Since the bill’s introduction a few weeks ago, companies from Amazon, American Airlines, Apple, Facebook, General Electric, General Mills, Google, HP, IBM, Intel Levi Strauss & Co, Microsoft, Nike, Oracle, Orbitz, Symantec Corporation and The Dow Chemical Company all came out in support of federal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people.

Here's how media outlets around the nation are covering the latest Equality Act polling:

Poll: House Incumbents Who Oppose LGBT Rights Lose Support [Roll Call, 8/20/15] The polling, shared first with CQ Roll Call, found that in six districts held by Republicans, voters would be less likely to support the GOP incumbent if they opposed the Equality Act. A seventh poll conducted in a competitive seat held by a Democrat found the same result. The Equality Act is a bill introduced in July that would “extend existing non-discrimination laws to protect [LGBT] people. The polling comes as public opinion has shifted dramatically to support same-sex marriage and LGBT rights. The Human Rights Campaign — which advocates for the LGBT community — is focusing its effort on the Equality Act this cycle, after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage earlier this year.”

Human Rights Campaign Measures Effects of Incumbents' Stance on LGBT Rights Bill [The Hotline, 8/20/15] “A series of polls (Aug. 13) by Clarity Campaign Labs (D) (IVR) conducted for the Human Rights Campaign shows how many of their supporters would be less likely to support them if they oppose the Equality Act extending nondiscrimination laws to the LGBT community, and include head to head matchups in some districts.”

New House polling shows Equality Act popular and some Republicans vulnerable [Daily Kos Elections, 8/20/15] “The Human Rights Campaign has released a batch of polling from Clarity Campaigns on seven different swingy House districts. The surveys are designed to test support for the Equality Act, which would ban job and housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill is broadly popular, with support ranging from 46 percent (WI-01) to 56 percent (IL-03)—notably, the home of anti-gay Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski—and opposition peaking at 31 percent (NV-04).”

Poll: Paul Ryan loses votes if he opposes LGBT civil rights bill [Wisconsin Gazette, 8/20/15] “Ryan, according to the HRC analysis, heads into 2016 with a lead against a generic Democrat in a hypothetical re-election. However, 11 percent of his current supporters said they would be less likely to vote for him if he opposes the Equality Act. And a 27 percent plurality of undecided voters said they would be more likely to oppose a candidate who did not support the Equality Act.”

Human Rights Campaign Releases Polls on Dold, Lipinski [CapitolFax, 8/20/15] “Meanwhile, there’s been a bit of chatter recently from gay rights groups about ginning up a Democratic primary against Congressman Lipinski.”

Poll: Lipinski and Dold Lose Support if they Oppose LGBT rights [Illinois Review, 8/20/15] “The polling, which was paid for by the gay activist organization and shared first with CQ Roll Call, claims to have found that in the districts held by Republican Bob Dold and Democrat Dan Lipinski, voters would be less likely to support the incumbents if they opposed the "Equality Act" - a bill introduced in July that claims to provide LBGT people extraordinary protection from discrimination.”