UK: The GOP and women

The Economist

Lexington
The scarcer sex
Republican callousness is not helped by women’s reluctance to enter politics

ALL of a sudden, or so it seems, the gripping yarn that was the Republican presidential primary is running out of plot twists. After victories in Wisconsin, the District of Columbia and Maryland this week, the once inevitable nomination of Mitt Romney looks inevitable once again, freeing him to swivel his big guns back in the direction of Barack Obama. The Republicans say that the vicious primary has turned Mr Romney into a better and battle-hardened prospect for the White House. Maybe it has. But in one vital respect, the challenge mounted by Rick Santorum has weakened Mr Romney. By dwelling so much on social and especially sexual issues, Mr Santorum may have helped to make the whole Republican Party look hostile to women.

Since women vote in larger numbers than men, this is a big problem (bigger even than the alienation of Hispanics, another group mightily displeased by the Republican primaries). Nor is it an entirely new one. Democratic presidential candidates have outpolled Republicans among women for two decades. But in recent months the gap has widened. In March a Pew survey found Mr Romney level-pegging with Mr Obama among men, but trailing the president among women by fully 20 points (38% to 58%). The same poll reported that women preferred Mr Obama over Mr Santorum by an even bigger margin (61% to 35%). And a USA Today/Gallup poll this week said that in 12 swing states more than 60% of women under 50 preferred Mr Obama. Mr Romney was down to 30%, 14 points lower than the month before.

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