A majority of American voters say they would never vote for a socialist presidential candidate, while a most Republicans would also refrain from backing either atheists or Muslims, a new Gallup Poll showed on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2020) A majority of American voters say they would never vote for a socialist presidential candidate, while a most Republicans would also refrain from backing either atheists or Muslims, a new Gallup Poll showed on Tuesday.
"Just one group tested - socialists - receives majority opposition. Less than half of Americans, 45%, say they would vote for a socialist for president, while 53% say they would not," Gallup said in a press release.
While at least two in three Democrats say they would vote for a socialist, atheist or Muslim presidential candidate, willingness for Republicans drops to just over 40 percent for Muslims and just 17 percent for socialists, the release said.
At the same time, more than nine in 10 Americans say they would vote for a presidential candidate nominated by their party who happened to be black, Catholic, Hispanic, Jewish or a woman, according to the poll.
Gallup first tested Americans' willingness to vote for candidates who don't fit the traditional Protestant white male mold in 1937, asking whether they would support a well-qualified Catholic, Jew or woman.
Support for a woman as president was only 33 percent at that time but has since grown, as has support for other diverse candidates added to the list over the decades.
Since 1958, the sharpest increase in voting tolerance has been for blacks, followed by atheists, women, Jewish candidates and Catholics. More recently, the biggest shift has been for gay or lesbian candidates.
