Republican Traditionalists: “It’s Chick-fil-A’s carcass, and I helped!”

It seems that high-profile members of the Grand Old Party love themselves some fried chicken—as long as it features a Chick-fil-A sticker someplace on the packaging. Since his interview last month with Baptist Press, CEO Dan Cathy’s comments espousing “the biblical definition of the family unit” have gone viral, and netted the support of such prominent Republicans as former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who declared August 1—today—to be “Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day,” former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (who genuflected over his family’s love for the chicken joint’s peach shakes, via Twitter), and ex-Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who told Lone Star State supporters last week that she was planning a post-rally poultry-binge— and posted her proof online (replete with pics of her and hubby Todd, pullet prizes in hand).

Images touted by conservative activists depicted traditionalists standing in long lines at Chick-fil-A franchises, presumably waiting for their buckets and side dishes. It would seem that Republicans have succeeded in mobilizing the “base” to rally around the fast food chain as a cause worth protecting. But a new analysis from international internet market research firm YouGov suggests that the company’s brand is being hurt by all this Republican-ized romance— not to mention CEO Cathy’s suggestion that too much progressive thinking (like same-sex marriage) is just “inviting God’s judgment on our nation.”

The U.K.-based online pollster’s Brand Index uses an algorithm that takes its nearly 2 million American fast-food consumer poll subjects, and subtracts their negative feedback numbers from positive totals. Since July 19, perception of the Chick-fil-A brand has dropped to 4 points below the national average—a drop of 15 points (from 19 points above the average) before Cathy bashed gay marriage (and divorcees). According to YouGov, the conservative Midwest is the only place the pullet hasn’t hit the fan.