Sen. Obama Needs To Gain Support From Female Voters Who Supported Sen. Clinton, USA Today Reports

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Public Health;  Abortion
Article Date: 10 Jun 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, will need to gain support from female voters who supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) to win the presidential election, USA Today reports. Clinton ended her bid for president on Saturday and urged her supporters to support Obama.

Female voters, particularly those older than age 65, consistently supported Clinton during the presidential primaries, according to USA Today. Obama has said he will focus on the differences between the two candidates' positions on health care, judicial appointments and abortion rights, which will be an issue in future Supreme Court appointments.

Nancy Keenan -- president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, which endorsed Obama last month -- said female voters who supported Clinton "could be the margin of victory in this race," adding that such voters will support Obama "once they understand" his record on "pro-choice issues." The group plans to spend $10 million in the presidential and congressional elections. It will target independent and Republican female voters who support abortion rights in suburban areas and "swing states," such as Pennsylvania, USA Today reports.

Linda Douglass, a spokesperson for Obama's campaign, said the gender gap during the primary elections likely was because female voters supported Clinton rather than opposed Obama. "I don't think it was about him, it was about her," Douglass said. Ellen Malcolm -- president of EMILY's List, which supports female candidates who favor abortion rights -- said she believes Clinton supporters will begin supporting Obama. "The vast majority of Democratic women will go through their own process and conclude that they want Barack Obama in the White House," Malcolm said.

According to USA Today, many women believe that Clinton was treated unfairly by the Democratic Party and that television coverage of her campaign was sexist. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) during an interview on Sunday said women were "really invested" in Clinton's campaign and "believe she got treated poorly." Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), an early Obama supporter, said Obama "needs to reach out to many of these women" who supported Clinton. She added that Obama will be "calling and visiting" Clinton's female supporters in the Senate to discuss "how important they are to his campaign" (Moore, USA Today, 6/9).

ABC's "This Week" on Sunday included an interview with Feinstein about Clinton's campaign (Stephanopoulos, "This Week," ABC, 6/8).

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