The Briefing Room
General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: mystery-ak on November 05, 2013, 02:49:11 pm
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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/governor-races/189220-enormous-gender-gap-costs-cuccinelli-gop-in-virginia (http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/governor-races/189220-enormous-gender-gap-costs-cuccinelli-gop-in-virginia)
November 05, 2013, 06:00 am
'Enormous' gender gap costs Cuccinelli, Republicans in Virginia
By Cameron Joseph
Democrat Terry McAuliffe appears on the cusp of a solid victory over Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) following a gubernatorial campaign that underscored ongoing Republican struggles with female voters.
McAuliffe’s lead in the polls was built on a clear gender gap. The Democrat exploited a big fundraising edge to deluge the airwaves with ads focused on Cuccinelli’s opposition to abortion, his views on contraception and his failure to support the federal Violence Against Women Act.
Cuccinelli sought to refute the Democratic theme — that he has waged a “war on women” — with ads featuring an African American woman calling McAuliffe’s attacks on his social stances “ridiculous.”
The attorney general also released a video of his wife discussing Cuccinelli’s work to prevent sexual assault and rolled out a robust “truth about Ken” section on his website refuting McAuliffe’s attacks.
But the effort never gained traction with independent voters and Cuccinelli finished his campaign as he began it, with a focus on turning out base conservatives rather than winning over centrists.
“The McAuliffe campaign did a really good job of defining (Cuccinelli) early — but frankly, he did a pretty good job with his record of defining himself,” says Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. “The gender gap is just enormous.”
In a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday, Cuccinelli trailed by six points. That split was entirely driven by female voters, who broke by a 14-point margin for McAuliffe.
Cuccinelli actually led with male voters in the poll.
“Cuccinelli couldn't get out of his own way and got slimed with the war on women attack,” says GOP strategist Ford O’Connell. “He never got outside the conservative echo chamber.”
The attorney general isn’t the first Republican to fall victim to Democrats’ “war on women” attack.
Mitt Romney was hurt by the same argument, as were a number of Senate candidates in 2012.
While New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has avoided the same fate — and is poised for a decisive reelection in blue-state New Jersey on Tuesday — other Republicans continue to struggle to overcome attacks over social issues.
McAuliffe and Cuccinelli finished their campaigns stumping with big-name surrogates.
Vice President Biden appeared with McAuliffe on Monday to accuse Cuccinelli of having views on women that are “literally from another era.”
President Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton also rallied in Virginia in recent days for McAuliffe.
Cuccinelli closed his campaign alongside Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).
Other recent Cuccinelli surrogates include Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).
Cuccinelli’s closing message has been to slam McAuliffe on ObamaCare.
The former attorney general, who was part of the legal challenge to the law, has played up its struggles in stump speeches and campaign ads.
"I'm scared to death about what ObamaCare is doing to Virginians. Terry McAuliffe is scared to death what ObamaCare is doing to Terry McAuliffe," Cuccinelli told supporters Monday. "Tomorrow, we need to have his fears fulfilled."
But unless the polls are wrong, it's Cuccinelli who may be in for a tough night.
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Republicans are too busy fighting each other, and apparently incapable of broadening their appeals.
From the article regarding Cuc: “He never got outside the conservative echo chamber.”
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Republicans are too busy fighting each other, and apparently incapable of broadening their appeals.
From the article regarding Cuc: “He never got outside the conservative echo chamber.”
And many women believe the war on women meme. I'm not sure how you bridge that gap.
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And many women believe the war on women meme. I'm not sure how you bridge that gap.
You can't. It's required to focus on women smart enough to think analytically.
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You can't. It's required to focus on women smart enough to think analytically.
From the way the great majority of women. especially the younger ones, vote, the phrase 'women smart enough to think analytically" is an oxymoron.
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Occupied Virginia is now Occupied by democrats. It is pretty much a blue state now.
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Virginia is hopelessly blue if McAwwfle wins at all, especially if by a five percentage or more margin. And I don't think the "gender gap" is such a big deal if you get away from minority women and "single mothers" - they think they are all on some gravy train and vote themselves more benefits.
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Virginia is hopelessly blue if McAwwfle wins at all, especially if by a five percentage or more margin. And I don't think the "gender gap" is such a big deal if you get away from minority women and "single mothers" - they think they are all on some gravy train and vote themselves more benefits.
I saw the exit polling. It look like that McAwful, is winning by 7%..
50% McAwful
43% Cuc
7% For the losertarian party.
I think that Virgina goes in cycles. Having said that we better stop the infighting and start attracting new people..
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Republicans are too busy fighting each other, and apparently incapable of broadening their appeals.
From the article regarding Cuc: “He never got outside the conservative echo chamber.”
For goodness sake this article is from The Hill newspaper. Perspective would be helpful.
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I think that Virgina goes in cycles. Having said that we better stop the infighting and start attracting new people..
Do tell .... how does one do this?
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I saw the exit polling. It look like that McAwful, is winning by 7%..
50% McAwful
43% Cuc
7% For the losertarian party.
I think that Virgina goes in cycles. Having said that we better stop the infighting and start attracting new people..
Damn Libertarians...did they really think they could pull this off...
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The Libertarian is an Obama plant. He was funded by one of Obama's biggest bundlers.
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The Libertarian is an Obama plant. He was funded by one of Obama's biggest bundlers.
Why didn't the damn RNC counter this with action and money????
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Why didn't the damn RNC counter this with action and money????
Because they did not want him to win. This is about destroying the Tea Party and anointing fat boy from NJ as the next nominee.
The articles were already written saying that the election proves that conservatives cannot win, only moderates can.
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Why didn't the damn RNC counter this with action and money????
The RNC couldn't organize an erection.
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The RNC couldn't organize an erection.
Oh, thank you .... I so needed to LOL! :laughingdog:
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Damn Libertarians...did they really think they could pull this off...
I don't know why.. Even Ron Paul didn't support the Losertarian Candidate.
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The Libertarian is an Obama plant. He was funded by one of Obama's biggest bundlers.
Yep. One of the oldest and dirtiest election tricks around. It was disclosed only yesterday.
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Talk about wishful thinking and whistling past the graveyard...
Terry Rodham isn't breaking 40% of the vote according to Drudge, and while that is far from final, that is promising.
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I'm not sure the Libertarian is really going to suck off that many votes. Enough to screw the Republican, possibly, but I think it they also bring in people who wouldn't have voted for either major party. The "I'm my own man" voter.
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Why didn't the damn RNC counter this with action and money????
No... he is Tea Party.. RNC and RNSC and RNCC want the TP to go down in flames.. when people say stop the infighting they area really saying shut up and let special interests run the country and party doesn't matter since the TP goes away DC can go back to comfortably padding their pockets and screwing the country.
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I'm not sure the Libertarian is really going to suck off that many votes. Enough to screw the Republican, possibly, but I think it they also bring in people who wouldn't have voted for either major party. The "I'm my own man" voter.
I find it difficult to believe that Terry Rodham is a serious candidate. He has never held elected office and his first run is for Governor??!! Who does he think he is...the Hildebeest??
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I find it difficult to believe that Terry Rodham is a serious candidate. He has never held elected office and his first run is for Governor??!! Who does he think he is...the Hildebeest??
Celebrity has it's benefits
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Virginia voted two times for Obama and now for McAuliffe.
Others may disagree, but it looks like the state of Virginia is all-but lost to the Republican party. After several election cycles of "teetering", it has tipped over back to the 'rats, probably for good.
Of course there remain strongly conservative areas in the state. But there are conservative portions of New York state as well, but that makes no difference. Conservatives (and even less-conservative Republicans) have gradually become outnumbered by the left to the point where Republicans winning statewide in the future is gonna be a hard roe to hoe.
Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy" worked for many years, but one wonders just how much longer it can hold. Even Stonewall Jackson couldn't help!
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It's not just Virginia. We really have become a cult of personality. People under 40 vote for personality and party above all else. The media has done a remarkable job of casting the Republican party as the party of rich, old, angry, racist white MEN. To vote Republican is so, like, uncool, ya know? And who wants to be uncool?!
It's a huge problem for Republicans. Not one that can easily, if ever, be solved.