Can Clinton win the female vote?
Updated on 24 July 2007
It sounds like a no-brainer: she's the only female candidate running for President - naturally, you'd assume, women voters are behind Hillary Clinton's commanding lead in the polls.
And a Washington Post survey last month found Hillary leading Barack Obama by two to one among female voters - especially among younger, less educated, poorer women.
She's won the backing of crucial women's groups, like Emily's List and the National Organisation of Women - indeed, many from her inner circle have been drawn from women's activist campaigns.
And her team have also managed to recruit legions of first time women donors to fund her campaign.
But there's no room for complacency - this is one group that certainly can't be taken for granted. And interestingly - Obama's already polling almost as well as Clinton among educated women - especially college graduates.
They see Clinton as a strong leader - but she has a formidable image problem to overcome - no-one really trusts what she's saying.
And more worrying for Clinton - the latest New York Times/CBS poll last week found she faces considerable skepticism among some other key groups of women voters.
They see her as a strong leader - but she has a formidable image problem to overcome - no-one really trusts what she's saying.
Married women in particular are split about her prospects - clearly the Lewinsky legacy lingers on - and she's still struggling to improve her polarising image.
Then there's John Edwards, with female-friendly issues like poverty, race, and working families to the fore. His wife Elizabeth - fast becoming his most powerful campaign asset - says he'd make a better president for women than Senator Clinton.
"She's just not as vocal a women's advocate as I want to see. John is," Mrs Edwards has been telling crowds on the stump this weekend.
She attracted plenty of headlines last week when she suggested Hillary Clinton was acting 'like a man' in order to be seen as a credible commander-in-chief.
And who was it who leapt to Hillary's defence? Her husband, Bill - going on breakfast television to insist there was nothing wrong with boning up on military and security issues. "I don't consider that being manly," the former President declared. "I consider that being a leader."
So it's a delicate balance for Hillary Clinton to negotiate: in a political world where strategists desperately search for a narrative - she's certainly got a compelling one - yet she can't be seen to lay the female-factor on too thick.
In the end - it's not enough to be 'the only woman' - this is a campaign for America - it's only enough to be the best.
