Support for marriage equality has reached an all-time high among African-American and Latino voters in Illinois, according to a recent PPP poll. Their data suggests support for marriage in Barack Obama’s home state is 60/16 in the African-American community, who make up a sizable portion of the electorate. Support among Latinos in the state is even higher, with pollsters measuring a 70/23 spread in favor of legalization. Illinois is home to the country’s fifth largest Hispanic population. Overall support in the state stood at 47/42 for marriage equality, bolstering advocates who have renewed a push for full marriage rights in the state.
PPP also measured support in New Jersey, another state that advocates have zeroed-in on for potential legalization in the next several years. The state legislature passed a bill in February legalizing marriage equality, but it was summarily vetoed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie and now requires two-thirds of the legislature to override his veto. The poll found a majority of New Jersey voters (53%) are now in favor of marriage equality and opposition has dropped to 36%.