In every primary or caucus state except for Iowa, Marco Rubio has received a higher share of votes from women than men, suggesting the Florida senator could have an edge on the “war on women” meme sure to come later in the year. Rubio hasn’t received the most female votes, it should be noted, that honor has been going to businessman Donald Trump, who has also won each contest except for Iowa. Tuesday night’s Nevada caucus was no different.
Republican voters Tuesday night were nearly evenly divided between men and women, with 52 percent of caucus-goers being men and 48 percent being women. Trump received 47 percent of the male vote and 45 percent of the female vote.
The two sexes then differed on who they preferred for second place, with 25 percent of women voting for Rubio and 23 percent of men voting for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Twenty-two percent of men voted for Rubio and 20 percent of women voted for Cruz.
Yet again, Rubio is the only top-tier candidate who received a higher share of the female vote than the male vote. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich also received more votes from women than men.
This has been the norm in the past two primaries as well. In New Hampshire, 12 percent of women voted for Rubio while 9 percent of men did (he placed a disappointing fifth). In South Carolina, 23 percent of women voted for Rubio compared to 22 percent of men (he came in second).
In Iowa, however, more men than women voted for the Florida senator.
It’s interesting that Rubio is the only remaining top-tier candidate who does better with women than men. Women still prefer Trump over Rubio overall, but more men than women vote for the New York businessman.
Rubio’s success with Republican women could help him in the general election if he were to be the nominee. It could help him combat the “war on women” meme that is sure to be applied to the Republican candidate no matter who the Democratic nominee is, but especially if it is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who won’t stop reminding us that she is a woman.
Ashe Schow is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
