OPINION:
A recent poll shows that women voters are “flocking” to the GOP during these midterm elections.
The New York Times/Siena poll late last month showed a 32-point swing away from the Democrats and toward the GOP during the final month of the midterms.
The poll indicates that 49% of voters will likely vote Republican in the 2022 midterms, as opposed to 45% voting for Democrats. However, the biggest shift comes from one of the most sought-after voter – the independent woman. In September, independent women voters favored Democrats by 14 points; however, just a month later they are preferring Republican candidates by 18 points. This completely erases the advantage the Democrats gained with women voters in the 2020 election.
The Times is just now learning what we’ve been hearing all election season as our army of 65,000 women knock on doors across America, phone bank, participate in candidate forums and civic events, and visit with women voters on their doorsteps: Democrats are not focused on the priorities that matter to most women.
As the president of a women’s political organization, I hear daily from women all over the country about their concerns. The message I am hearing from voters is clear: The kitchen table issues such as the economy, inflation, border security, public safety, and parents’ rights are voters’ top priorities.
Under President Biden’s leadership, women are being forced to make tough decisions as they sit around the kitchen table (or my daughters’ more modern version – the kitchen island breakfast bar). As 80% of women now manage household budgets, women are upset about inflation and wondering how they will cope with the increase in household expenses. They are unsure whether they will be able to manage to heat their homes, buy groceries, and fill the gas tanks as inflation drives prices higher and higher.
In addition to inflation, women are concerned about what their children and grandchildren are being taught in school. In many public schools today, there are fewer academics and more social, emotional teaching. As a former public school teacher, I saw this coming years ago and I wasn’t silent. What is happening today is beyond anything I expected would ever be allowed in our public schools. The abuse is a lack of respect many school officials have for parental authority.
Women are also concerned about safety in their communities. Democrats are on record promoting policies to defund the police and it’s no coincidence that crime has escalated to a point that the big cities ruled by democrats are simply too dangerous. To add insult to literal injury, Biden’s unregulated border is bringing in drug cartels, dangerous fentanyl, and more human trafficking.
Women are looking for candidates who understand their concerns and who have a plan to do something about it.
A consensus is forming in these final days leading up to the midterms.
Few of the voters polled in The New York Times/Siena poll mentioned abortion – yet it’s been a key issue for Democrat campaigns. This is remarkable considering the wooing that particular voting bloc has been nearly the entire strategy for Democrats.
As further proof that women are fed up, look no further than Tulsi Gabbard. A 2020 presidential candidate for Democrats, the former congresswoman left the party less than two years later. She’s now campaigning for Republicans. As a woman, she realized that the Democrats have forgotten the ordinary issues that concern so many of us.
The fact is, Biden administration policies have made neighborhoods less safe, schools less smart, and bank accounts lighter, this threat to the American Dream is bringing out women this election season. She is discussing these things at her kitchen table with her family, friends, and neighbors. And she is voting Republican this November.
• Eileen Sobjack, President of the National Federation of Republican Women
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