Poll: Gay Remarks Don't Hurt Santorum

AP | 5/22/03 | PETER JACKSON

[kattracks]

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Sen. Rick Santorum's recent remarks about homosexuality apparently haven't cost him political support in his home state, a new independent poll released Thursday suggests.

Santorum received the same 55 percent approval rating among Pennsylvania voters this month that he had in April, before his controversial remarks made the national news, according to the statewide survey by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"The folks back home in Pennsylvania are largely unconcerned about Senator Santorum's remarks about homosexual activity," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Connecticut-based institute.

Asked in the poll whether they personally believe homosexual behavior is morally acceptable or morally wrong, 58 percent of respondents said it is wrong and 27 percent said it is acceptable. Fourteen percent were undecided.

Santorum drew criticism from gay-rights groups and Democratic presidential candidates after he said in an interview with The Associated Press published in late April that he believed states have a right to ban gay sex or other private behaviors "antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family."

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery," he said.

Asked in the poll whether they thought homosexual relations between consenting adults should be legal or not, 45 percent of respondents said they should be legal, 35 percent said they should be illegal and 19 percent were undecided.

Fifty-five percent said Santorum's comments would not affect their decision on whether to vote for him in the future, and 75 percent said he should not resign his chairmanship of the Senate Republican Conference Committee, as some critics suggested.

Santorum spokeswoman Erica Clayton Wright declined to comment on the poll until she has reviewed the findings.

In the telephone survey, 952 registered voters were interviewed between May 13 and Tuesday. The sampling-error margin was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

[nutmeg]

ping!

[nutmeg]

ping!

[Cicero]

Did the pollsters mention that the word "gay" was inserted into Senator Santorum's remarks by a lying reporter who just happens to be married to King Ketchup's campaign director? Santorum did not use the word.

[George W. Bush]

Food for thought for FR's pro-sodomy lobby.

But then, they have a different agenda, it seems.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Further evidence that Pennsylvania is for the most part a socially conservative state, although it is socially liberal in Philly and its suburbs. We need to support Pat Toomey in his primary run against pro-abortion RINO Arlen Specter. Not only does Toomey support our conservative values, he will actually have an easier time in the general election than would Specter (especially if pro-life Congressman Tim Holden gets the RAT nomination).

[gunnedah]

After CNN and the New Yawk Times lies who the heck believes the so called "Mainstream Media" any longer. Oh I forgot there are a bunch of un-educated liberals that eat it up. Oh well, I guess they will continue to survive and lie.

[bereanway]

I said at the time that the attempts to demonize Santorum would not resonate with the public. The only group this had any traction with were the libs who attempted to damn him with their relentless media assault. This will not have any negative impact on his reelection.

[LS]

Nor WILL they "cost" him. Pols better realize that the so-called "gay" vote is not the powerhouse it is cracked up to be, and goes 90% for the Dems anyway, Log Cabinites notwithstanding.

[thoughtomator]

Just goes to show that gays and deviancy apologists don't vote for Republicans anyway... as if we didn't all know that already.

[lilylangtree]

Salute to Pennsylvanians!

[cgk]

I keep wondering about that, too. I even heard FNC refer to this as Santorum's comments against "gays", which HE DID NOT SAY!

[No Dems 2004]

58% say that homosexuality is immoral. That's one for the queers to think about that in a swing state like Pennsylvania doesn't care for them. This should teach people once and for all that Americans don't view anti-homosexual views the same way they view racism.

I hope the weirdos choke a little on this. Being pro-family on homosexuality is a totally viable political stance, and I sure wish President Bush would figure that out more than he has already.

[GOPJ]

Please add me to your ping list. Thanks.

[presidio9]

Santorum received the same 55 percent approval rating among Pennsylvania voters this month that he had in April, before his controversial remarks made the national news

Just goes to show, you can never receive less than 0% of the vote from a special interest group. The buttsex crowd ought to keep that in mind.

[Polycarp]

a bump and a ping

[Antoninus]

Further evidence that Pennsylvania is for the most part a socially conservative state, although it is socially liberal in Philly and its suburbs.

Actually, the blue-collar whites and blacks in Philly and the suburbs are not very socially liberal at all. Fiscally liberal, yes. If someone dared to run a campaign in Philly touting pro-family issues--pro-vouchers, education reform, anti-crime, anti-homo agenda--they'd have a real chance at winning as this mirrors the feelings of most of the "real" people in Philly. Not the media elite or the Society Hill snots.

We need to support Pat Toomey in his primary run against pro-abortion RINO Arlen Specter. Not only does Toomey support our conservative values, he will actually have an easier time in the general election than would Specter (especially if pro-life Congressman Tim Holden gets the RAT nomination).

I agree. However, I don't live in PA anymore. And honestly, if given a choice between a pro-life Dem and Arlen Specter, I'd either not vote or vote for the Dem. My days of voting for RINOs are over.