Some Women May Fly the Democratic Coop if Hillary Isn’t on the Ballot, But Obama’s Got All the Chicks
On Saturday, June 7, Hillary Clinton conceded her campaign for the American presidency, and a historic campaign for women breathed its last death rattle. Many of Clinton’s female supporters bid farewell to a strong candidate – and for some possibly their last chance at saluting a woman Commander-in-Chief in their lifetime.
“They really gave her the shaft, didn’t they?” Dorothy, a 77-year-old Wilmington resident and lifelong Democrat activist, was more than just disappointed that Hillary would not be Madame President. “I am extremely saddened with the results of this primary season. I’ve always liked and respected Hillary Clinton, and wouldn’t even know where to start as to why I support her. Back when she was First Lady, she stood by her man Bill amid all the scandal and crisis. I think that shows tremendous character, and the quality of a good leader.”
Considering her solid support from women like Dorothy, you could say that Hillary Clinton is a girl’s girl. Female voters were largely loyal to Clinton until the end; according to a Gallup poll taken May 31, 49% of voting Democratic women supported Hillary, as opposed to only 45% that favored Obama. But are Hillary’s female voters loyal enough to do as she requests and support Barack Obama, or will they instead stay home on Election Day – or still worse for Democrats – McChange their party?
Many in the media speculate that disgruntled female Hillary voters, wearied by an extended primary season and antagonized by the delegate ruling in Michigan and Florida, will either not vote in November or choose to support John McCain. These speculations could carry some water, as a June 6 CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll found that if Clinton is not on the democratic ticket this fall – 60% of her supporters will vote for Barack Obama, but 22% will stay home on Election Day, and 17% will vote for John McCain.
“I’ve never liked Obama from day one.” Like other women, Dorothy‘s love for Clinton is matched with a slight ambivalence towards and distrust of Hillary’s Democratic compatriot, Barack Obama. However, she maintains that no matter how mad the results of the Democratic primaries made her, she still isn’t seeing Red. “I will never vote for John McCain under any circumstances, and I wouldn’t stay home on Election Day either. I will most likely support Barack Obama when the time comes, as long as he doesn’t choose Bill Richardson or another woman as his running mate. Either would be a huge slap in the face to Hillary.”
Rebecca Denenberg, a 21-year-old student at the University of Delaware, hails from New York and supports her local senator, Hillary Clinton. “Hillary is a lot more experienced, and her cabinet would be similar to Bill’s. We had good economic times with the Clinton administration, and it would be nice to see that again.” However, now that her hometown hero is out of the running, Rebecca may sit out in November. “I don’t know if I can vote for Obama. He plans to sit down with foreign leaders, which will be difficult when he is inexperienced in foreign affairs and needs to be introduced to diplomats.”
“18 million people voted for Hillary Rodham Clinton, and I feel that these voters have been disenfranchised due to the fact that Hillary won more votes, but Obama won more delegates.” Matthew Przybylek, the Student Leader of the University of Delaware chapter of Hillblazers and one of these 18 million voters, acknowledges that many Clinton supporters may feel shortchanged by the Democratic nominating process. Although he is inclined to support Barack as a Democratic voter, Matt insists he and his female colleagues will have to reconsider their opinions, and not immediately endorse Obama for the sake of party unity. “During the past year and a half, I had made my choice to support Hillary because of her strong stance towards helping the working class and her commitment to providing truly affordable and universal health care to all Americans. Needless to say, I need to examine what Obama is bringing to the table, and see whether or not I can fully support him.”
Genevieve Salem, the Secretary of the University of Delaware College Democrats, believes most Hillary supporters will focus on party unity come the November election – but maintains that Obama’s nomination has ruffled some feathers in the Democratic Party. “I still feel that Hillary supporters have a bitter taste in their mouth for the way the Democratic Party handled the primary process. They neglected to give Michigan and Florida voters a chance to allow their primary votes to count, both states where she lost the advantage because she had the majority. The super delegates didn't vote in her favor even though she technically won the popular vote, and many senators made it seem like she was betraying the party, or trying to prevent unification just for staying in the race. Instead of letting the democratic process play out they were already declaring Obama the winner.”
Although some Clinton enthusiasts like Genevieve may feel shortchanged by this primary season, most young female Democrats were never Homegirls with Hillary in the first place. According to a Gallup poll taken May 31, 54% of white Democratic women between the ages of 18 and 29 supported Obama, while only 42% voted for Clinton. Therefore, why should the Democrats be that worried about Chick Flight to the Republican Party, when a majority of younger women have been chirping for Change since before Clinton’s concession?
Kiamesha Castle, a 20-year-old student at the University of Delaware, threw her support behind Obama early on in the campaign. “I chose to support Barack Obama because I’ve listened to a couple of his speeches, and I feel like he understands what common people go through. I feel like he relates to us more.” For Kiamesha, Hillary’s gender was never a factor in her decision. “People think because Hillary’s a woman and we’re women we’ll stick together, but I personally believe whoever has our best interests at heart – whether they’re male or female – will get our support.”
Genevieve Salem felt first-hand the lack of support for Hillary on campus – even among the College Democrats’ leadership. Out of six female executive board members, only Genevieve and one other supported Clinton. “Unfortunately, this semester I found out that the majority of young female democrats like myself tended to support Obama over Clinton throughout this contested primary. I feel that rings true on this campus as well as for the young female college students across the country. Being that this campus is generally politically apathetic, I was definitely part of a small minority being a full-fledged Clinton supporter.”
“Nothing against Hillary, I just like Obama more. He seems fresher, and more open to change,” stated Kaitlin Afner, a 20-year-old student at the University of Delaware. Kaitlin says she’s heard more about Barack Obama due to his overwhelming support at the University of Delaware – including enthusiasm among young women. “Absolutely more students here favor Barack Obama, even among young women. I think Hillary has more support among our mothers’ generation, but not with young people.”
“I like Barack Obama because he appears determined to change things, and that’s why he should be elected President of the United States.” Klachen Peters, a 28-year-old student at U of D, also thinks that more young women support Obama, but believes he needs Hillary as his second-in-command if he’s going to win the support of her flock. “Younger women like me favor Obama, but older ladies like Hillary Clinton, and he needs those votes.”
Matt Przybylek believes a “Dream Ticket” would help Barack Obama reign in female votes – and allow Democrats to sleep easy knowing that their chances are improved in November. “What I would like to see is Hillary's endorsement [of Barack Obama] reciprocated with an offer from Obama to be his vice president. I think this would truly encourage party unity and also help bring about a universal health care plan.”
However, since Hillary Clinton made her concession speech last Saturday, Barack Obama has made considerable gains in female support – and now leads John McCain among women of all ages and party affiliations. According to a Gallup poll released June 11, Barack Obama has enjoyed an 8 percentage point gain in his lead among female voters, and now earns the support of 51% of women voters – to John McCain’s 38%. Perhaps female flight isn’t so much of a problem for the Democratic Party – as long as women voters flock towards Barack.
Genevieve Salem says she would like to see Hillary Clinton as the vice presidential nominee – but wouldn’t want the political marriage to be forced for the sake of party unity. “I still think the party can be unified even if [Hillary Clinton] does not become the vice presidential running mate to Obama. Would she help him gain female and middle-class white votes in the general election? I believe she would. I also believe he still might be able to win without her as vice president.”
Even though she concedes that many female Hillary supporters are saddened by the results of Clinton’s campaign, Genevieve insists that young Democratic women are committed to unifying the Democratic Party – and prepared to vote for an (Oba)man to do what they hoped would be a woman’s job. “Even though our favorite candidate did not secure the nomination, [Democratic women] realize the importance of having a Democrat in office. If that means having to vote for Barack Obama then I think they'll go through with it. I think we all want to strengthen and unify the party and sitting this election out for me isn't an option.”
Although Obama has made considerable gains among female voters in the past week, it’s important to remember that many women supported him from the beginning – even those that should’ve statistically fallen in Hillary’s hen house. “There is a lot to respect about Barack Obama. He is honest, intelligent, and possesses a selflessness that suggests he’s not out for himself.” As a 75-year-old woman, Kathy Apostolico of Wilmington, Delaware should have fallen into Hillary’s voting demographic. But for Kathy, her voting choice was determined by Obama’s X-factor – rather than Clinton’s sex. “If the two candidates were completely equal, I would rather have a woman president. There is something extraordinary about Barack Obama that reminds me of John and Bobby Kennedy – a sincerity that we haven’t seen in politics in a long time.”
- Stephanie Woods