June 11, 2016

The GOP’s Women Problem: Report Shows the Party of Trump Is Struggling to Elect Women to Congress @alternet

The GOP’s Women Problem: Report Shows the Party of Trump Is Struggling to Elect Women to Congress @alternet:

"An unapologetic misogynist has hijacked the Republican Party. Donald Trump is unlikely to win a general election, but he’s immensely popular among Republican primary voters. And he’s managed to preserve his popularity despite insulting women repeatedly. Attributing a reporter’s question to her menstrual cycle is the most egregious offense, but there are countless others. Women have noticed, too. According a recent Gallup poll, 70 percent of women have an unfavorable opinion of Donald Trump, compared to 58 percent of men. This is the largest gender gap we’ve seen for a presidential candidate, and it’s likely to grow as more women start paying attention. Indeed, in July of last year only 58 percent of women had an unfavorable opinion of Trump. Although Trump is viewed negatively by men in general, his favorability ratings remain high among Republican men. 61 percent of Republican men view him favorably, with only 36 percent reporting negative feelings. Republican women are more split on Trump (49 percent favorable, 46 percent unfavorable), which is instructive but not very conclusive. Unsurprisingly, Democratic voters – both men and women – are united in their disdain for Trump (84 percent of men and 89 percent of women view him unfavorably). It’s tempting to think of Trump as an outlier, as some foreign pathogen infecting the Republican Party. But that’s not the case. His chauvinism finds a happy audience among conservatives."