Gay voters turn out for Newsom

The day nearly four years ago that Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered city officials to marry same-sex couples secured him a second term. At least that is the scenario one local political strategist is reading in last week's election results.

With all 580 precincts reporting, the unofficial returns show Newsom received 72 percent of the vote with 87,606 ballots cast for the mayor. The percentage is an exact mirror of where the mayor's approval ratings have been since February 2004 during the "Winter of Love," when nearly 4,000 gay and lesbian couples wed at city hall.

Thus, his performance in the November 6 election "you could tie it back to gay marriage. His ratings boomed to 70 percent after that and just stayed there," David Latterman, president of Fall Line Analytics, told the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club at its meeting Monday, November 12. "That number surprised me. I didn't think it would translate into votes. But his job ratings and approval ratings just transferred over."

Gay voters turn out for Newsom
Bay Area Reporter, CA