New poll shows strong support for the freedom to marry among Democrats

new poll from the Pew Research Center demonstrates huge majority support for the freedom to marry. Almost two-thirds of Democrats surveyed in the nationwide poll (65 percent) said they favor legal marriage for same-sex couples, and only 29 percent said they are opposed. The new numbers represent a dramatic shift in support among Democrats since 2004, when 40 percent said they support marriage (with 50 percent opposed). For the past eight years, support has steadily and rapidly trended upward, while opposition has plumetted. 

The poll is the latest to confirm significant support for the freedom to marry among Democrats. A June 2012 CNN/ORC International poll found that 70 percent of Democrats support marriage for all couples (28 percent opposed), and a May 2012 poll from ABC and The Washington Post found 67 percent of Democrats saying they support marriage, with 53 percent saying they "strongly" support it. 

The new poll results were published a day after news broke that the 15-person Democratic Party Platform Drafting Committee unanimously supported the inclusion of a plank supporting the freedom to marry in the first draft of the official party platform. 

Freedom to Marry's National Campaign Director Marc Solomon released a statement celebrating the decision yesterday, announcing:

We are grateful for the Platform Drafting Committee's unanimous vote to include the freedom to marry in its draft of the Democratic Party platform. ... The Democratic Party has a noble history of fighting for the human and civil rights of all Americans. We are proud that the Committee is including language that will ensure the Party is leading the way forward in supporting marriage for loving and committed same-sex couples and their families.  

This year, Freedom to Marry has been leading the push for the Democratic Party to include a plank supporting the freedom to marry with our Democrats: Say I Do campaign. The campaign has seen incredible momentum this year, with outspoken support from 22 Democratic Senators, the Chair of this year's Democratic National Convention, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Caroline Kennedy, and nine other co-chairs of President Obama's reelection campaign - plus more than 40,000 Americans who have added their names to our online petition.

Freedom to Marry applauds the Platform Drafting Committee's decision and urges the rest of the Democratic party to sign onto the official platform as is. The platform will become finalized and official at the Democratic National Convention on September 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Continually strong polling support from Democrats surely helped the members of the Drafting Committee understand that the freedom to marry is well supported by the majority of Democrats in the United States. We are thrilled at the committee took these polls to heart and is planning on reflecting a commitment to respect and protections for all loving couples when the official platform is finalized at the Democratic National Convention on September 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Read more about public opinion on the freedom to marry here.