THE POWER OF WOMEN’S GAME

Unlike Hillary Clinton, who polarized many female voters when she ran for president as the Democratic nominee in 2016 (her refusal to stay home to bake cookies angered many stay-at-home moms), Harris has the support of female voters. each subgroup.

Even many working-class white women whose husbands would probably vote for Trump prefer him; Maybe it’s because he’s talking to them about kitchen table issues like the cost of living crisis. In particular, the plan to expand the child tax credit has been a huge success.

Even if Trump isn’t such a polarizing candidate, targeting undecided female voters is a smart political strategy.

Women have the right to vote at a higher rate than men in the United States. Moreover, in every presidential election since 1980, the proportion of eligible female adults voting has exceeded the proportion of eligible male adults voting.

But even though 2024 is already being called a “gender-biased” election, class could still play a significant role in how women vote. There is little doubt that college-educated women, both whites and especially women of color, will lean on Harris. Working-class white women, especially those who are Catholic or Evangelical, are outsold, as evidenced by the fact that the race is neck-and-neck in parts of the Midwest and rural South.

In fact, even as Trump widened his lead with men, the vice president lost some of his lead among women in the penultimate week of the race, according to Washington Monthly’s Gender Gap tracker. This means Harris’ current gender advantage is more like Hillary Clinton’s advantage in the race against Trump than the margins Joe Biden or Barack Obama had during their victories.

Identity politics is about to be put to the tough test.