---
title: "Republicans Negative on  Adulterous Candidates"
description: "Nearly six-in-ten Republicans say they would be less likely to support a candidate who had had an extra-marital affair"
date: "2011-06-23"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2011/06/23/republicans-negative-on-adulterous-candidates/"
---

# Republicans Negative on  Adulterous Candidates

In a recent poll, fully 57% of Republicans said they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who “had an extramarital affair in the past.” By contrast, 42% of Democrats and 44% of independents shared this view. The gap was much wider in 2007 when 62% of Republicans and only 25% of Democrats said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who had had an extramarital affair. The public continues to be far more forgiving of a past divorce — only 11% say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who has been divorced while most (85%) say this wouldn’t matter to them. Republicans are somewhat more likely than Democrats to view a candidate’s divorce negatively (16% vs. 7%). [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/02/section-2-candidate-traits-and-experience/)