Republicans still turning off women voters

Democratic pollster Mark Mellman wrote an interesting piece in The Hill today called “GOP turning off women voters.” He lays out all of the indisputable reasons why defunding Planned Parenthood and Title X is bad for women: it would actually increase the cost of vital women’s health services drastically, and it would result in more unplanned pregnancies, undetected cancers, and sexually-transmitted infections.

And then he asks the question – if there’s no good policy reason to go after women’s health, then maybe there’s a good political (read: 2012 election) reason?

Well, it seems the answer there is a resounding no. National polling shows that Planned Parenthood is viewed favorably by 60% of voters, probably because, among other reasons, 25% of women voters have used their health care services. And 70% of voters oppose ending government funding for family planning assistance. Compare that to how voters view the Republican party: approved by 36% of voters, according to a March 25th Daily Kos/SEIU poll.

Our own Women’s Monitor research proves this as well. In our post-election survey of women voters who had either stayed home or voted for Republicans in 2010, we found that “they are turned off by many of the extreme policy positions advocated by Republicans and the GOP is likely to drive many of these women back into the Democratic column if they actually pursue these policies in office.” We also confirmed that the 2010 election was certainly not an endorsement of the Republican party or Republican agenda, but a referendum on the economy.

So, here at EMILY’s List, we thought our mandate was pretty clear for 2012 – in key states, make sure these women voters are educated about the real Republican agenda and make sure they know that it’s our Democratic women who are actually fighting for them. By waging the war on women, Republicans are showing their true colors and driving women voters back right into the arms of Democrats. And here at EMILY's List, we’re ready to embrace them.

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