Overlooked Key to Obama Victory: Gay Voters

The role of gay voters in President Obama's re-election hasn't gotten much attention, but a New York Times story makes the case that it was a "decisive" factor. Exit polls showed that 5% of voters identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and Obama had their overwhelming support by a 3-to-1 margin, according to a UCLA study. Considering that Mitt Romney held his own among straight voters nationally and even edged the president in Ohio, the gay vote could indeed have been crucial. The story also explores the resulting dilemma for Republicans—how to woo this growing segment of voters without alienating cultural conservatives. Read it in full here. (More Election 2012 stories.)