Six in ten (60%) say that they would definitely not vote for a political candidate if they had been accused of sexual harassment by multiple people, while nearly one-third (32%) say they would still consider voting for them if they agreed with them on the issues.
Women are much more likely than men to say they would not vote for such a candidate. More than two-thirds (68%) of women, compared to 53% of men, say they would definitely not vote for a candidate accused by multiple people of sexual harassment. Only 26% of women, but nearly four in ten (38%) men, say they would still consider voting for such a candidate. However, there is a considerable generation gap among men. Nearly six in ten (59%) younger men (age 18 to 34), compared to fewer than half (47%) of senior men (ages 65 and older), say they would rule out voting for someone accused of sexual harassment by multiple people. Forty-six percent of senior men say they would still consider voting for such a candidate. The views of younger and senior women are not significantly different.
There are stark political contrasts on this issue as well. An overwhelming majority (81%) of Democrats say they would definitely not vote for someone accused of sexual harassment by multiple people, while only 34% of Republicans say this fact would preclude their support. A majority (56%) of Republicans say they would still consider voting for a candidate facing multiple accusations of sexual harassment.
However, there are important differences among Republicans by gender. More than six in ten (61%) Republican men say they would still consider voting for a candidate accused of sexual harassment by multiple people. Republican women are more divided, with 48% reporting that they would support such a candidate and 41% reporting that they would not. The views of Democratic women and men are mostly aligned, with more than three-quarters of each group reporting that they would not vote for a candidate with multiple sexual harassment accusations against them (84% and 76%, respectively).
This post is an excerpt from “Partisanship Trumps Gender: Sexual Harassment, Woman Candidates, Access to Contraception, and Key Issues in 2018 Midterms”