Women’s Love for Barack Obama Wanes

Women’s support for President Obama has always
outpaced men’s, but this is
one gender gap that’s shrinking, according to new polling
data.

The latest
Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll, conducted September 3-7,
found that women’s support for the president is flagging,
especially when it comes to foreign policy. In August, 46 percent
said they approved of the way the president was handling foreign
affairs, compared to only 33 percent this month. (This poll was
taken as Republicans were blasting the president for being
weak on the Islamic State and right before Obama stepped up his
warmongering game, however, so this is probably not a terribly
heartening finding for those uninterested in Iraq War 3.0.)

Women’s support for Democrats in general has also flagged since
August. From the Wall Street Journal: 

(The poll) found that women’s Democratic preference had shrunk
to a 47%-40% margin — down from 51% -37% a month earlier. The swing
was especially sharp among white women, who gave Democrats a 4
point edge in August; in the new poll, Republicans enjoyed 48%-40%
advantage.

It is hard to assess what accounts for that shift but, if it
proves a durable trend, the stakes are high. GOP pollster Bill
McInturff said that maintaining support among women is critical for
Democrats in the midterm elections, or else “a difficult cycle
becomes a really terrible cycle for Democrats.”

The poll also found that women’s feelings about the Democratic
Party have soured, as 39% expressed positive feelings toward the
party, down from 44% in June. 

Yet despite women’s lessening of enthusiasm for the Dems, voters
still believe they have better stances on women’s issues. The poll
showed that 45 percent (of male and female voters) said they were
more confident in Democrats ability to “look out for the interests
of women,” compared to 17 percent who trusted Republicans more on
this front. The 28-point gap on this question was the widest of any
in the recent poll.