Poll: Pumps Could Carry Bachmann Over Perry, Obama

Americans are especially supportive of voting for a female presidential candidate, according to our latest Washington Whispers poll.

In a quirky way to get people to indicate what type of president they want, Whispers hit the road with some shoe leather—literally. Without naming names, we asked if people preferred a president in women's pumps, loafers, wing tips, sneakers, or Cowboy boots.

Pumps won. Cowboy boots lost. Advantage Rep. Michele Bachmann. Sorry Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

[Check out Political cartoons on the 2012 GOP candidates.]

According to the poll, conducted by Synovate eNation, 25 percent of Americans believe someone who wears pumps would make the best president, followed closely at 24 percent by loafers, 21 percent for wing tips, 17 percent for sneakers and 13 percent for cowboy boots.

It could be argued that Bachmann is the pumps candidate since she's the only woman, Mitt Romney the loafers candidate, President Obama the wing tips choice, Ron Paul the sneakers candidate and Perry the cowboy boots candidate. [Read Walsh to see which GOP candidate's ahead in the latest Gallup Poll.]

Despite the overall results, posted below, when the poll was broken down along the sexes, the candidate in loafers was the choice of men while women went with the pumps, as did parents and those the poll described as the primary grocery shoppers. Wing tips were the preferred candidate of voters 65 years old and older and sneakers was the top choice of voters aged 18-24.

The Whispers Poll

Fashion coverage of the presidential candidates is at a high again, with a woman and swaggering Texan in the race. Starting at the bottom, a candidate wearing which of the following shoes would make the best president?

Women's pumps 25%

Loafers 24%

Wing tips 21%

Sneakers 17%

Cowboy boots 13%

Source: The Synovate eNation Internet poll was conducted August 16-22 among a national sample of 1,000 households by global market research firm Synovate.

• Who's in and who's out: A slide show of the 2012 GOP primary contenders.
• Check out a roundup of political cartoons on the 2012 GOP candidates.
• Read more about Michele Bachmann's sense of style in whispers.

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