Rob Portman, the first Republican U.S. Senator to endorse same-sex marriage has seen his approval rating dip slightly in the month since his announcement.
A new Quinnipiac poll finds that 40 percent of Ohio voters approve of Portman’s job performance, while 31 percent disapprove.
In February, 44 percent approved of his work and 24 disapproved.
The overall dip is due to a 13-point increase in his disapproval rating among Republicans. Forty-one percent of GOP voters said they view Portman less favorably because of his shift, according to the poll.
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Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said the shift in Portman’s approval rating “has not been massive,” but that the “overall movement towards acceptance of same-sex marriage, which we see in Ohio and elsewhere, could help him in the long run, especially if he seeks reelection four years from now.”
Portman announced in March that he was reversing his longtime opposition to same-sex marriage, saying he evolved on the issue after learning that his son Will is gay.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that for me, personally, I think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy and stability of marriage … that I want all of my children to have, including our son, who is gay,” said Portman.
The poll also found that Ohio voters lean toward same-sex marriage by a narrow 48 – 44 percent, compared to a split in a December 12 Quinnipiac University poll when 45 percent of voters supported it, with 47 percent opposed.
