Cynthia Nixon, Michelle Obama, Stormy Daniels: Broadsheet September 14

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Michelle Obama’s taking a large-scale approach to her book tour, Cynthia Nixon meets defeat, and we learn more about gender and voting. Have a fab weekend.

EVERYONE'S TALKING

• Who votes for women? In a well-timed bit of research (we New Yorkers were at the polls yesterday—more on the outcome below), polling firm Morning Consult asks: What makes an ideal candidate?

As you might expect, the answer varies dramatically by party affiliation. Democratic voters favor female candidates by a 19-point margin. Zero in on Democratic women, and that preference shoots up to a stunning 31 percentage points. (Democrats are also more likely to prefer candidates who are Native American, black or Hispanic over their white counterparts.)

Republicans, in contrast, are more likely to support a male candidate. Indeed, GOP women are four times as likely to prefer a male politician. (Republicans were more likely to favor white or Native American candidates over those of other races.)

The data is worth digging into, as it parses other interesting characteristics that appeal to various voters. For instance, independent voters tend to favor candidates who have a background in farming and nursing—who knew?

When it comes to the gender divide, Washington College professor Melissa Deckman tells Morning Consult that some of the GOP preference for men may be the result of a backlash over the media spotlight on women’s success in Democratic primaries.

Republican strategist Susan del Percio doesn't speculate on the cause of the gender gap, but she does say that her party's preference for white male candidates is likely to become a problem for the GOP in the future as the country becomes steadily more diverse. Morning Consult

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

• Nixed. Incumbent Andrew Cuomo soundly defeated first-time candidate Cynthia Nixon to secure the Democratic nomination for New York governor, with the race being called 30 minutes after polls closed. Cuomo's running mate Kathy Hochul is the party's pick for lieutenant governor. Elsewhere on the ballot, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James beat Zephyr Teachout to become the Democratic nominee for state attorney general. If James wins in November, she'll be the first black woman to hold statewide office in New York. New York Times

• Pop star status. The good news about Michelle Obama's upcoming book tour? You can probably get a ticket. The bad news? You likely won't get your book signed. The former first lady's book tour will eschew small bookstores for stadium-size events. The tour for Obama's memoir Becoming starts right after the midterm elections in November and will hit arenas in 10 cities. Washington Post

• Boeing's booming. Boeing's defense, space, and security unit, led by Leanne Caret, is set to see rising sales in 2018 for the first time in four years. Increased spending at the Pentagon—and Boeing's recent win of an $805 million deal to build refueling drones for aircraft carriers—is behind the boost. Caret took over the unit in 2016. Wall Street Journal

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: WPP promoted Mel Edwards to be chief executive of Wunderman. Loren Mayor will move from chief operating officer to a newly created role, president of operations, at NPR. The public broadcaster also promoted Anya Grundmann to SVP for programming and audience development and Gemma Hooley to SVP member partnership. Judy Olian joins the board of directors at Mattel. Pam Lifford is Warner Bros.' New president of global brands and experiences.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Next-gen Romney. Glamour has an interview with Ronna Romney McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee and niece of Mitt Romney. McDaniel took over the RNC in January 2017, and she discusses how President Trump's comments about women affect her job. Glamour

• A Storm's a-comin'. In more book news, we're getting a memoir from Stormy Daniels. Titled Full Disclosure, the book will discuss Daniels's career in the adult film industry, her alleged affair with President Trump, and the intimidation she says she experienced afterward. The book comes out in October, just before the midterm elections. New York Times

• Rohingya response. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmar, spoke at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Hanoi about the Rohingya genocide in her country and the imprisonment of two Reuters journalists covering the conflict. The crisis could have been "handled better," she said. Suu Kyi has been criticized for supporting her military's brutal campaign against the Rohingya. Time

• Soup opera. After the sudden departure of CEO Denise Morrison in May, things are getting crazy at Campbell Soup. Activist investor Daniel Loeb is trying to replace the company's board despite the fact that he needs approval from the descendants of John T. Dorrance, who invented condensed soup. Dorrance's heirs control 45% of the company's stock. Wall Street Journal

Today's Broadsheet was produced by Emma Hinchliffe. Share it with a friend. Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.