Despite the Democratic Partys long-time lock on the female vote, President Bush and the Republicans are gaining traction in their outreach to women, according to a Notre Dame political scientist.p. “The speeches given at the Republican Convention were successful in very directly trying to reach out to women voters,” said Christina Wolbrecht, author of “The Politics of Womens Rights.” “They talked again about compassionate conservatism,education, September 11 and the war in Iraq – less in terms of going to war, and more in terms of protecting families.”p. That message seems to have resonated with women. Wolbrecht noted that recent studies preliminarily indicate the gains President Bush realized in polls after the Republican Convention may be due to an increasing number of women liking what they hear from Republicans, especially first lady Laura Bush and her “W is for Women” campaign.p. [Note: Hear and see Christina Wolbrechts comments online at: http://streaming.nd.edu/n&i/experts/wolbrecht/gender.wmv ]
Contact: Christina Wolbrecht, the Packey J. Dee Associate Professor of Political Science, received the 2001 Leon D. Epstein Outstanding Book Award from the American Political Science Association for her book, “The Politics of Womens Rights: Parties, Positions, and Change.” She is available for additional comment at (574) 631-3836 or Wolbrecht.1@nd.edu . p.
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