The nation’s rightward shift — and the return of Donald Trump to the presidency — were not the only headlines on election night in America. Exit polls revealed the voting patterns of LGBTQ Americans, there were historic firsts in Congressional contests, and several states voted on ballot initiatives pertaining to same-sex marriage and discrimination protections.
NBC News Exit Polls showed LGBTQ Americans overwhelmingly voted for Vice President Kamala Harris: A whopping 86% of LGBTQ voters backed Harris compared to 13% who supported Trump. The vice president had the best performance by a presidential candidate among LGBTQ voters in the last four presidential elections. In 2020, President Joe Biden won the LGBTQ vote over Trump 64-27% and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had 77% of the LGBTQ vote compared to 14% for Trump, according to the NBC News data. In 2012, former President Barack Obama secured 76% of the LGBTQ vote, while then-GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had 22%.
