Republican women may not impress female voters
The LA Times reports on polling data from California which suggests that the ideology of political candidates, and not their gender, is more important to female voters.
Female Republican candidates – of whom there are several running for governorship and seats in the US Senate – are considered Republicans who happen to be female by California’s heavily Democratic women voters, rather than females who happen to be Republicans.
There remains strong gender differentials in voting patterns however, and these differences are further cross-cut along lines of party affiliation, age, ethnicity and education.
The article notes that Republican women face several disadvantages when it comes to winning over female voters – traditionally, women have voted in favour of candidates who support abortion rights, in direct contrast to the views of much of the Republican party.
Furthermore, data suggests that women are far more skeptical of corporate leaders than men, and the corporate affiliations and sensitivities of several Republican candidates are likely to prove a barrier that is difficult to overcome.
The hypocrisy in a GOP woman’s opposition to abortion is enough to make me want to pull the lever for ANY democrat as an alternative. Even a man.