MICHIGAN – New polling in Michigan released today by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — shows that the 2022 election defied pre-election predictions of a massive “red wave” — in Michigan and nationally — in no small measure because Equality Voters pushed back against extremism and voted to protect commonly held values and our democracy.

Across the country and in Michigan, election deniers and right-wing extremists lost winnable elections because they advocated views that are out-of-touch with average voters, particularly the huge number of Equality Voters who made the critical difference up and down the ballot. Equality Voters, of which there are 1.2 million in Michigan, are a group of voters modeled to support LGBTQ+ equality. They represent 38 percent of the 2022 national electorate — a number that reflects the growing political strength of this community — and tend to be younger and more racially diverse than the electorate as a whole.

“You can’t expect to win in Michigan by nominating candidates who advocate extreme positions, including attacking and demonizing the LGBTQ+ community that grows more politically powerful every election cycle,” said Human Rights Campaign Michigan State Director Amritha Venkataraman. “Our opponents didn’t generate the landslide they were betting on, thanks to the historic turnout of pro-equality, pro-democracy, and pro-choice voters who sent a strong message that extremists, conspiracy theorists, and far-right radicals do not represent Michiganders. The week after Tudor Dixon won the primary, she launched an attack on the transgender community. Michigan voters’ rejection of this kind of politics led to the reelection of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the first fully controlled Democratic state legislature in 40 years. Voters have sent a strong message: lies, hate, and division have no place in Michigan.”

Equality Voters delivered huge margins to Democrats at every level of the ballot.

• An 80 percent majority of Equality Voters supported the re-election of Governor Gretchen Whitmer and 84 percent supported Democratic candidates running for Congress.

Voters will tolerate no retreat on marriage.

• With pivotal U.S. Senate votes on marriage equality now underway in the lame duck session, it’s worth noting a convincing 64 percent of Michigan voters in this fairly conservative, midterm electorate support Congress passing a law to protect the federal right to same-sex marriage; nationally, 61 percent support this law.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.