Poll: Most Voters Don't Believe U.S. Is Ready for a Gay President

A new poll shows mixed feelings about the presidential prospects of Pete Buttigieg.

Only 36 percent of voters believe that the United States is ready to elect a gay man as commander in chief, according to new results posted by Quinnipiac. Fifty-two percent said the country is not ready, and the rest did not know or did not wish to respond.

However, 70 percent of voters -- including 46 percent of Republicans -- say they personally would be open to electing a gay president.

Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, broke down this information in terms of the electability of Pete Buttigieg, who is the first gay Democrat to launch a presidential campaign. "The good news for Mayor Pete Buttigieg is that voters seem ready to accept a gay man as president. The bad news for Buttigieg is that voters believe it just isn't going to happen," Malloy said.

The Quinnipiac poll showed Buttigieg placing fourth among the Democratic contenders, garnering 10 percent of support among those surveyed. He follows Bernie Sanders (10 percent), Elizabeth Warren (12 percent), and Joe Biden (38 percent).

A previous poll from NBC/WSJ indicated that 68 percent of Americans would be OK voting for a gay or lesbian president. That breaks down to 14 percent who are "enthusiastic" for a gay candidate and 54 percent "comfortable" with such a politician.