The choices of voters interested in so-called “women’s issues” do not always align neatly with perceptions of the two major parties and their concerns for policies that affect women.
Given the overwhelmingly Democrat tilt in mainstream media, most Americans have the impression that the blue team is the one that cares about women, while the GOP is seen as “misogynistic.” But this simplistic picture is only possible because the discussion of women’s issues is really only a discussion about one issue: abortion. While it is true that the Democrats are more supportive of unrestricted or less restricted abortion than Republicans, there are additional issues of concern to women that Republicans champion while Democrats do not.
Former President Donald Trump is trying to get that message across to women voters, a demographic he is having a harder time getting purchase with. During a speech on September 23 at a Pennsylvania rally, Trump told women, “I want to be your protector.”
Trump noted that women have less money today than they did four years ago, that they are in greater danger from crime just walking down the street, that moms are paying too much for groceries, and a host of other issues. Abortion is only one issue of great concern to women, he said.
Trump promised to “fix all that” quickly and bring an end to what he called our “national nightmare.”
Women have responded in greater numbers to the message of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is going all-guns-blazing for unrestricted abortion access. The vice president continually tells untruths about the issue of abortion and Donald Trump. Harris repeats the line that there is a “Donald Trump abortion ban” looming, even though Trump has stated several times that he would not support a federal ban on abortion.
Harris also insinuates that Donald Trump specifically “handpicked” Supreme Court Justices who would overturn Roe vs Wade, as if Trump’s presidential appointments of justices were somehow out of the ordinary. The Supreme Court did overturn Roe vs Wade in 2022, sending the right to regulate abortions back to the individual states.
A recent poll by the New York Times and Siena College found that Harris was leading Trump among women voters after the September 10 debate. Fifty-three percent of women polled would choose Harris as compared to 42 percent. The situation is reversed with men, as 56 percent supported Trump compared to only 39 percent going for Harris.
