Warren continues holds a strong lead among female voters, as women's issues have taken on a large role in this election cycle, according to a new MassLive.com/The Republican poll.
Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, left, and his Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren, right, have been actively campaigning across the commonwealth and through TV and radio ads in an attempt to sway voters in the Senate race which is being billed as the most expensive in history. (Associated Press file photos)Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren continues to hold a strong lead among female voters, as women’s issues have taken on a large role in this election cycle, according to a new MassLive.com/The Republican poll.
The poll, conducted by The Western New England University Polling Institute, found Warren leading Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown 55 percent to 40 percent among likely women voters. Brown was ahead by five points among men, 49 percent to 44 percent. (Overall, Warren led Brown by 6 points.)
The 15-point margin is the same as in a MassLive.com/The Republican poll conducted May 29-31, though that poll counted registered voters and the current poll focuses on likely voters.
Tim Vercellotti, director of the Western New England University Polling Institute, said women in Massachusetts typically favor Democrats. But Warren may have been helped by the recent Democratic National Convention. “The narrative of the Democratic convention was that it sounded like the 1976 Democratic convention, talking about abortion rights and access to contraceptives,” Vercellotti said. “To the extent that narrative has been so active the last couple of weeks, that could factor in.”
The poll found women had a less favorable view of Brown and a more favorable view of Warren than voters overall. Brown’s favorable to unfavorable ratings were 46 percent to 35 percent among women and 54 percent to 32 percent overall. Warren’s ratings were 56 percent favorable to 26 percent unfavorable among women and 53 percent favorable to 33 percent unfavorable overall. Brown’s job approval ratings were also slightly less favorable among woman than among all voters.
Barbara Cappello, an independent voter from East Longmeadow, said she is leaning toward Warren, and has been swayed by the campaign’s focus on women’s issues. “I certainly think that women should be paid equally for equal jobs, they have the right to choose what happens to their own bodies,” Cappello said, echoing statements Warren has made on the campaign trail. “I think it puts me more on her side than his. Maybe it’s because she is a woman, I don’t know.”
Independent voter Barbara Jean Laetz, 68, a retired educator from Westminster, said women’s issues are one area where she agrees with Warren – in addition to Warren’s focus on regulating the financial industry and helping the middle class.
In August, U.S Rep. Todd Akin, a Republican Senate candidate from Missouri, said a woman’s body has a way to avoid getting pregnant from “a legitimate rape.” Brown condemned the remarks and called on Akin to quit the race. But Warren argued that Akin’s comments reflect a Republican agenda that is hostile toward women.
Warren held a campaign event attacking Brown on women’s issues and released a TV ad attacking Republicans for their stances on abortion, contraception and equal pay.
Warren criticized Brown for voting against the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have required employers to prove that a discrepancy in pay between men and women was job-related. (Brown said the legislation would harm small businesses.) She criticized Brown for co-sponsoring the Blunt Amendment, which would have allowed employers to deny insurance coverage for services that violate their religious beliefs, like birth control.
Brown has responded by running ads featuring his wife Gail Huff, who has been campaigning for him full-time. He urged the Republican National Committee not to adopt a plank in the Republican platform opposing abortion under all circumstances. Brown, who supports abortion rights with some exceptions, touted an endorsement from a Republican pro-choice group (though a local pro-life group also supports him) and has stressed his votes to fund Planned Parenthood and allow military women who were raped to have access to federally funded abortions.
The poll of 545 registered voters was conducted Sept. 6-13 and has a margin of error of 4.2 percent. The sample of 444 likely voters has a margin of error of 4.6 percent.