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From the abundance of John McCain and Sarah Palin baseball caps and buttons, it’s clear I’m in McCainLand. Today many Phoenix women cast their choice for today’s historic election. But was McCain’s choice for a running mate his best bet? Some women I talked to were uneasy. “I do not trust a woman in office,” says Alexis Davis. “Women are influenced by their emotions and feelings. That is what triggers their actions.” That feeling is shared by Davis’s friend, Joann McKellar: “She does well for Alaska, but not the entire United States.”
Palin’s popularity has waned among the voters she was expected to woo: women. According to journalist Peter Beinart of the Washington Post, “her wobbly television interviews haven’t helped. Nor have the drip, drip of scandals from Alaska, which have tarnished her reformist image.” The Katie Couric interview didn’t help her either. That infamous conversation could have possibly turned off some women voters who were initially excited and thrilled there was a woman in the race after Hilary Clinton lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama.
There are signs of hope for Palin with women voters. While driving I’ve seen plenty McCain-Palin 2008 stickers. Whether they’re driving to the polls and casting their votes in their favor, we’ll soon find out.
Did Palin help or hurt the Republican ticket? Tell us below: