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Political Parties Woo 'Walmart Women' In Colorado

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Oct 6, 2008 5:39 am US/Mountain

Political Parties Woo 'Walmart Women' In Colorado

Campaigns Try To Reel In More Women Voters

Written by CBS4 special projects producer Libby Smith
Reporting
Karen Leigh
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) ― The age of the soccer mom seems to be over; they're making way for "Wal-mart women."

"Seventeen percent of the entire American electorate is women who shop at Wal-mart at least once a week," said Lori Weigel, political pollster for Public Opinion Strategies.

Those Wal-mart women are still undecided in this election.  Historically women voters are always a pivotal swing group especially in Colorado.

"But this year with so much at stake people are really paying attention and women voters are certainly that primary voter group once again for both presidential campaigns," Weigel added.

Women tend to stay undecided longer, are often more open to new information and actually change their minds sometimes late in the game that makes them very desirable.

"Women voters are really looking for someone who is able to empathize with the blight they're in, who understand raising a family, holding a job, and doing all these things that women are doing to a great extent everyday," Weigel told CBS4.

Republicans we talked to believe vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is just that politician.

"She certainly has attacked the women. I think she relates to Middle America. She's kinda one of us and I think that's so appealing," said Lynne Cottrell, a member Women for McCain, a Republican women's coalition.

They say with Palin on the ticket, the party has been able to mobilize a lot more women who want to get out and support her and help get her elected.

"A lot of my unaffiliated friends, on soccer fields… in my walk of life, are wanting to talk politics with me and they've never wanted to do that before and so I think women are just so attracted seeing a strong feminine woman, a woman who's right on the issues, and a woman who has experience as a CEO of her state," said Debbie Brown, a precinct captain for the Republican Party in Arapahoe County.

But Lori Weigel says that Palin is still an unknown for many women.  As she continues to be defined in to the public eye by interviews, appearances, and the televised debate, some die-hard Democrats feel she'll fall short.

"Their heads are reeling, like 'Gee, we said we wanted a woman but we wanted a competent woman,'" said former ambassador Swanee Hunt.

Recently Hunt traveled through Colorado making a personal appeal to women to vote for Barack Obama.

"I think we can get 10,000 new women voting," Hunt added.

She's asking registered voters to set up teams called "voting circles", then they'll recruit at least 8 women who've never been registered or never voted.

"They're going to establish personal contact with them by saying 'Here's my story..what's yours?'," Hunt explained.

She believes that women will be the swing that turns Colorado from a red to state to blue. 

Weigel says that there is a real tension in voters between economic angst and wanting a president who's able to accomplish real things.  The candidate who can appeal to that dichotomy will likely come out ahead.

  • For more information about Women for McCain go to women.johnmccain.com.
  • For more information about the voting circles go to WomensVotingCircles.com.

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