Women will rally at the Timonium Fairgrounds today in support of Gov. Robert Ehrlich?s re-election, even as recent polls show women voters back his Democratic opponents, while men are behind the governor.
“We thought it was time to show Gov. Ehrlich does have strong support from women in this state,” said Carol Randall, president of the Republican Women of Baltimore County, which organized the event.
First Lady Kendel Ehrlich will be the main speaker. “All Republicans have a gender gap issue,” she said in an Examiner interview published today. “I think there a lot of women out who actually identify with Republican ideals, but feel that the Democratic Party is the party that helps people. I just disagree with premise.”
“The perception of lack of support by women is false,” said Republican consultant Carol Hirschburg, who helped the organizers. “We do support the governor. We support his goals for the future.”
In a late March poll of 1,400 likely voters by OpinionWorks of Annapolis, men supported Ehrlich over Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley 47 percent to 38 percent. But women backed the mayor over the governor 52 percent to 27 percent.
“This is a big gender gap,” said pollster Steve Raabe. “It?s a very significant gap to overcome. If I were Bob Ehrlich, I would consider putting a woman on the ticket.”
A similar poll of 800 likely voters by Gonzales Research completed in early April found narrower gaps. Among men, Ehrlich topped O?Malley 45 percentage points to 41 points. Among women, O?Malley beat Ehrlich 51-37.
“Fundamentally, the gender gap is tied into the party gap,” said Patrick Gonzales who did the poll. “Women are more identified with the Democratic Party.” Ehrlich is “soft with women and he?s soft with Democrats. He?s softer today than he was four years ago.”
State Sen. Sandy Schrader, R-Howard, an Ehrlich ally, said, “I see groups of women that absolutely love Bob. They look at him as a very handsome individual, physically. He?s quick and has a great sense of humor, and he balances family along with his job.” Then there is another group of women that “I?m not sure any Republican could appeal to,” she said.
“The polls show that he has a problem with women, but I think it?s more a problem that he?s a Republican,” Schrader said.
