The Democrats' Gender Gap—They Lose Married White Women
Robert, you've got it partly right about Barack Obama and white women voters.
You are entirely correct when you say,
...while women as a whole vote Democratic, white women don't. George W. Bush smoked John Kerry with them in 2004 after edging Al Gore in that group in 2000. He beat the Massachusetts senator by 11 points—or roughly what McCain is beating Obama by at the moment, according to the Post. Bill Clinton won 48 percent of white women in 1996, to Bob Dole's 43 percent, with Ross Perot claiming 8 percent, and he tied George H. W. Bush among the demographic in 1992, with 41 percent each (Perot took 18 percent).
But Clinton's appeal was unique: The elder Bush took 56 percent of white women in 1988, and Ronald Reagan took 62 percent in his 1984 landslide. Reagan won 52 percent to Jimmy Carter's 39 percent (John Anderson pulled 8 percent) in 1980. Gerald Ford won the group in 1976, with 52 percent to Carter's 36.
That said, however, let me hone one small unnoticed point: White women as a group haven't supported the Democratic candidate in a presidential election in a while, but it is actually white, married women who vote most Republican of any female demographic—much more so than single or widowed white women or women of color, married or unmarried.
Look at these data from the 2004 presidential election compiled by USA Today based on various Gallup polls:
All women
- Bush: 45%
- Kerry: 50%
- Democratic advantage: +5% points
Married women
- Bush: 54%
- Kerry: 41%
- Democratic advantage: -13
Unmarried women
- Bush: 35%
- Kerry: 60%
- Democratic advantage: +25
Marriage gap:
- Democratic advantage: +38
This makes much more sense when one considers these groups' income levels.
Married white women are the richest demographic of any group of women. As a result, they tend to be less dependent on government subsidy programs (which Democrats support) and more concerned about reducing taxes (an issue on which Republicans claim supremacy).
Tags: Democrats | presidential election 2008 | voters | female voters
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Reader Comments
By the numbers?
As women voters outnumber male voters, what exactly do all these breakdowns (if believable) tell us?
Not much, but GWB lost the popular vote in the past two elections and was still "elected" president by the "electors" and once with the help of the Supreme Court usurping the rightful authority of the Florida legislature (that was in the process of "electing" him anyway).
So, women vote any way you want. The system will take care of the rest.
The choices Todd and Sarah made together are theirs. Who the hell are you to judge?
Typical libs/feminists. . .super hypocrites.
Liberalism isn't about freedoms at all is it. . . fooooool.
If I choose to sire a child at whatever age and support, and raise my child. . .butttttttt out, mind your own stinkin business. What the @#$% are you people, a bunch of hitlers cronies????? You absolutly act and speak as such.
YOU are NOT the JUDGE of ANY!!!!!
No doubt YOU have made many many choices in your life that I could easily slander, shame and blame, point my finger, use straw man arguments against etc, etc . . . think about it. Unless of course if you are a cronic liar, then you believe your own lies. ARE YOU? If so I'm sure there is a gov program that you can use at the expense of others to get cured.
As though Sarah didn't choose, you have got to be kidding. . .right?
Feminism/libralism has become nothing more then an excuse for a mental illness. . .maybe we could fund some help for all you victims of self.
Maybe in the end it is just pure jelousy. Stand up (on your own two feet), go out and be what you want to be. . .nobody is stopping you. . .nobody.
Do women follow like sheep, or what?
Maybe if married white women took a good hard look at Todd Palin, the snowmobile racer, who gave his wife a high risk pregnancy and a Downs Syndrome child at 43, a half dozen years from their 4th child, they'd wake up.
Todd was jealous of Sarah's political life as mayor and governor. Instead of getting the vasectomy he should have had five years ago (at least), he is getting even by getting her pregnant too late in life-----and guess what, the entirely predicatable Downs Syndrome.
Sarah may not choose abortion. Fine. I don't like abortions either. (I like vasectomies and I've had one for 30 years.)
But Sarah wishes to fix it so the next woman married to an unthinking Todd has no choice but to keep making babies.
Same with McCain who, if truth were known, has probably romanced more women in his life than Don Juan. Think, people. Please think.
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