In an effort to engage with millions of LGBTQ voters ahead of the upcoming presidential election in November, former Vice President Joe Biden will launch a national voter outreach effort to coincide with Pride Month.
CBS News reports the campaign program, titled ‘Out For Biden,’ a national get-out-the-vote effort focusing on the estimated 11 million LGBTQ voters across the nation, with special emphasis on vital battleground states.
A study conducted by the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute found approximately 50 percent of registered LGBTQ voters identify as Democrats, 15 percent are registered Republicans and 22 percent say they are Independents.
A notable factoid that requires attention: the study found about one-fifth of LGBTQs of voting age are not registered to vote.
For perspective regarding possible impact, it’s worth noting that in 2016 Donald Trump won the state of Florida by 112,911 votes and there are approximately 772,000 LGBTQ voters in the Sunshine state.
In Pennsylvania, Trump had a victory margin of 44,292 votes and there are an estimated 416,000 queer voters in the state.
And in Michigan, where there are 311,000 LGBTQ voters, Trump squeaked by with a bare 10,704 votes.
The ‘Out For Biden’ outreach will begin as a virtual effort primarily due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Online conversations will be held on issues of health, race and sports, related to the LGBTQ community.
Additionally, “tool kits” will be available which include voter registration information and messaging to engage with others regarding LGBTQ equality issues.
Campaign officials say the outreach will be led in part by a group of 32 LGBTQ politicians and allies including openly lesbian Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) plus 6 other openly queer congressional members. Transgender elected officials, like Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins, will also have a prominent voice.
As Instinct reported last week, while the White House was silent regarding Pride Month this year, Biden penned a lengthy essay detailing his past efforts as well as his plans to empower the LGBTQ community as president.
Biden, who crossed the delegate threshold to become the Democratic presidential nominee last week, closed his Pride proclamation writing, “I believe in the story of this country and the LGBTQ+ community.”
For more information about ‘Out For Biden,’ visit the official Joe Biden campaign website.
In related news, Biden has jumped to a 14 point lead in the latest CNN/SSRS national poll with Biden garnering 55 percent to Trump’s 41 percent.
NEW: @realDonaldTrump job approval drops 7 points to 38% in new CNN national poll. @JoeBiden opens a 14-point lead in the 2020 race. pic.twitter.com/WbMOTc0lb2
— Javi Morgado (@javimorgado) June 8, 2020
But for those inclined to follow politics, national polls may offer a sense of the country’s political temperature, but they aren’t useful in determining the actual state of the presidential race.
As many have noted, the 2020 contest will most likely be determined in a handful of swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona.
You can check in on those battleground states’ recent polls at Real Clear Politics.
Currently, in RCP’s average of polls, Biden leads Trump nationally by 7.8 percent. But more importantly, he holds small leads in each of those above-named swing states.
