Column Examines Republican Lead In Va. Gov. Race

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Abortion
Article Date: 26 Oct 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Virginia gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds (D) "bet that Virginia women would be horrified" at opponent Bob McDonnell's (R) "decades-old graduate school thesis containing outdated social views on women," U.S. News & World Report columnist Mary Kate Cary writes. However, with the most recent Washington Post poll showing a nine percentage point lead for the Republican, it appears "it's Deeds -- not McDonnell -- whom women are running from, as he relentlessly pounds that thesis and the culture-war proxy that he sees it to be," according to Cary. She claims that "Virginia women are insulted," because Deeds "won't talk to them about the economy, transportation, health care reform or national security."

The Post poll found that McDonnell has a 21 percentage point lead over Deeds among independent voters, many of whom are women and who supported President Obama in last year's presidential election, Cary says. According to Cary, "The GOP should take a cue from McDonnell," who "knows that while most female voters hold an opinion on issues like abortion and day care, they're not single-minded 'women's issue' voters who can be pigeonholed." She writes, "Independent women voters see themselves as part of the great center-right American mainstream, even though polls show their party affiliation can shift from year to year and candidate to candidate."

She also cautions Republicans, saying that if they "were smart, they'd see the lesson Deeds is learning the hard way: Stay away from the extremes of the culture war and stick with the issues important to families trying to make ends meet." Cary concludes, "If they do, the midterms will be an easy win for Republicans" (Cary, U.S. News & World Report, 10/21).

Additional Coverage

On Friday, the Washington Post and NPR's "Morning Edition" included reports examining the race, including analysts' opinions on why McDonnell has pulled ahead. 

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