Opinion: Clinton’s loss gives McCain a real opening with her disaffected women voters

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Angling for the backing of women voters, the Obama campaign has created a wide array of support groups: Prime Time Women for Obama, Boomer Women for Obama, Middle-Aged Women for Obama, Women Over 50 for Obama and even Obama Mamas.

But after wrapping up the Democratic nomination in a long and bruising battle against a popular female politician, Sen. Barack Obama will begin his general election push trying to attract women voters who feel a keen sense of disappointment and loss that Sen. Hillary Clinton will not become the first female president next year.

Those women may be open to listening to Sen. John McCain, creating an opening for him to make inroads with a group of voters who traditionally lean Democratic but have now lost their much-preferred female Democratic candidate.

‘To the extent that McCain can make Obama look like a big risk,’ said Susan Carroll at Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics, ‘make them feel a little leery about the change he might bring about -- he might be successful in attracting them.

‘He does have that independent reputation,’ Carroll continued, ‘and that reputation of thinking for himself and not necessarily going along with the Republican Party line, which I think a lot of people find appealing.’

For more on this issue, click here to read Jill Zuckman’s entire article.

--Andrew Malcolm