Barack Obama might have gay voters to thank for his reelection, especially right here in Florida. A new analysis suggests that if only straight people went to the polls here, Romney would have pulled off a win by something like two percentage points.
"Similarly, analysis of preliminary returns from Florida show that the 420,000 total LGBT votes cast in the state may be a deciding factor in President Obama's projected lead in Florida," reads a new analysis by the Williams Institue. "Though final results aren't yet known, an estimated 300,000 LGBT Floridians voted for the president -- a margin many times larger than the current vote difference between the two candidates."
Nationally, 76 percent of self-identified LGBT voters voted for the President. Only 22 percent voted for Romney.
In Florida, Obama got 73 percent of the LGBT vote. 26 percent voted from Romney.
That's not much of a surprise. Obama repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and became the first sitting president to personally back gay marriage. Mitt Romney maintains that Obama won because of "gifts" he gave to certain groups of voters, and apparently the "gift" of equality goes a long way.
Among state voters in Florida, the Institute finds that Romney won 51 to 49 percent. Romney also would have won the national popular vote and other close swing states, like Ohio, if it were only up to straight voters.
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