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Gender Gap Dominates Super Tuesday

In most of the 16 Super Tuesday states the gender gap– or the differences in women’s and men’s votes– was a dominating factor. In the democratic state primaries, women comprised, on the average, 58% of the vote while men were 42% for a whopping 16% gender gap. In the Republican primaries, men were the majority of voters, on the average 53%, women 47%, for a 6% gender gap. However, overall gender gaps were small for candidates in Republican primaries.

Senator Hillary Clinton won nine of the 16 Democratic state primaries. In every state Clinton won with a majority of women voters. The gender gaps in voting for Clinton ranged from 14% in both Massachusetts (62% women/48% men) and California (59% women/45% men) to essentially no gender gap in Oklahoma, where she carried a majority of women and men.

Senator Barack Obama won six state Democratic primaries with a majority of men voting for him in all but Missouri, where he barely defeated Clinton 49% to 48%. In three primaries (Alabama, Georgia, and Illinois) Obama received a majority of women’s votes also. In two state primaries Clinton a majority of men’s votes (Arkansas and Oklahoma).

Sources:

CNN Exit Polls; Feminist Majority Foundation

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