November 4, 2009
Republican Bob McDonnell’s attempt to hijack the women’s vote fell short yesterday, with almost half of women voting for Democrat Creigh Deeds for governor, according to an analysis by the Virginia chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). By contrast, 38% of men voted for Deeds.
Yesterday’s results show that women’s values and issues have broad appeal, and that a large number of women rejected McDonnell’s masquerade as a moderate on issues including workplace fairness and pay equity, health care, and child care.
The barrage of TV ads with McDonnell’s daughter and female members of his attorney general staff did not persuade women who knew that McDonnell had voted against equal pay for women, opposed legal abortion for women who were victims of rape and incest, and voted against ensuring women could buy contraception at their local pharmacy.
Bob McDonnell has already publicly promised to de-fund Planned Parenthood, thereby depriving tens of thousands of women of affordable, high quality preventive health care and birth control. With Ken Cucinnelli as attorney general, there is virtually no limit to the damage that can be done to push back women’s reproductive health and rights.
In light of the results of this election, Virginia NOW will launch a campaign to inform all women, regardless of political partisanship, of how much will be at stake for the lives of women and families in the McDonnell administration. Women cast more than half the ballots in yesterday’s election, are more than half the workforce, and are more likely to be poor than men. We are counting on McDonnell to be the moderate he promised to be and to work on solving the problems of women struggling in this economy as well as all Virginians – jobs, transportation, education, and economic prosperity.
Virginia NOW History 