Who is best speaking for American women during this presidential campaign? Shockingly, the majority of women say that candidate is Donald Trump.
In a national survey conducted between May 5 and May 9, polling firm Morning Consult asked 1,068 female voters, “Which presidential candidate does the most to voice your opinions?” Respondents had the option of choosing any of the three contenders still in the race: Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders.
Trump was the clear favorite, with 29% of respondents saying that he best represents their views, following by Sanders (25%) and Clinton (21%). While the differences are fairly narrow, they are statistically significant; the margin of error for the survey was 3%.
Of course, it’s likely that Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders split the votes of Democratic respondents. The shift to a two-person race could very well alter the takeaways of the Morning Consult poll.
While Trump may be the favorite overall, women age 44 and younger preferred Sanders to the other two candidates. For voters under 29, that preference is much more pronounced: 45% of younger women chose Sanders.
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The survey also asked women to identify the issue that is most important to them, then looked at how the candidates scored with each group. Bernie Sanders leads with respondents who prioritize “women’s issues,” whereas Hillary Clinton has a slight edge with those who are focused on health care.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, leads in three categories: economy, security, and Medicare/Social Security. His margin is most commanding among women who put security first, 57% of whom say Trump best speaks for them.