EMILY's List WOMEN VOTE! Delivers in Ohio and Texas

Last night we saw the fruits of a continuing effort by the EMILY's List WOMEN VOTE! program to turn out women voters for Senator Hillary Clinton. Starting in mid-February (see full releases on OH and TX), EMILY's List began reaching out to nearly 150,000 targeted women voters in Ohio and women across the state of Texas who were likely voters.

The Women’s Electorate in Ohio & Texas:

The EMILY’s List WOMEN VOTE! program targeted several key groups of registered Democratic women voters in Ohio, including non-college educated women, rural women, and older women who have suffered most in this economic down-turn and thus have the most at stake in this election. In Texas, EMILY's List ran a state-wide radio campaign targeting women voters, particularly Latinas. We wanted to maximize support for Senator Clinton and expand the women’s electorate and we succeeded in both goals.

The Results:
Turn out amongst women far exceeded the 2004 level. Women made up 59 percent of the electorate in Ohio, a seven point increase over 2004. In Texas, women made up 57 percent of the electorate, a four percent increase over 2004. Senator Clinton won women in Ohio by 16 points and women in Texas by 11 points. (See MSNBC Exit Polling)

Voter Contact – The Message & The Issues:

In Ohio, using a targeted program of direct mail to deliver key information on Senator Clinton’s experience and strength on the issues women care most about, we once again used the face and perspective of local women to deliver this critical message. Our mail program featured real Ohio women, sharing their own personal reasons for supporting Sen. Clinton. In Texas, radio ads also featured native Texans speaking directly to their fellow Texans. Over a decade of research has confirmed that women respond strongly and positively to peer to peer communication. Also, based on the survey of Ohio women done by EMILY's List WOMEN VOTE! (See full survey here) we focused our message to women on their top priority – the economic pressures they and their families face today. In a race where the women’s vote was critical to continued success, our program played a strong role in framing Clinton’s very real connection to the women of these critical battleground states.

The Results:
Exit polls in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island show that women were driven to support Sen. Clinton because of her ability to deal with the economic pressures they face in their lives – health care, jobs, the economy – they wanted an experienced leader who could deal with these issues. (See AP, CBS News and Politico analysis)

The Landscape Ahead:

The results last night bode well for the coming contests. The make up of the next major primary state – Pennsylvania – closely resembles Ohio, where Clinton once again surprised pundits and claimed a ten point advantage.

While many of the dynamics of the race have changed, much of the rationale for women’s support of Senator Clinton has not. Women continue to see her as:

• Sharing their priorities
• A strong commander in chief
• Someone who is ready to be president from day one
• Someone whose life experiences as a woman are similar to their own.

Women will continue to be a key factor in the presidential primary by force of their numerical domination of the electorate and the growing connection they have to Senator Clinton’s message of effective leadership.

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