Pollster: GOP Women Will Support Clinton

[Yisrael]

WASHINGTON — Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton 's top strategist predicted Thursday that up to a quarter of Republican women could support Clinton in the presidential contest — a claim that later drew sharp rebukes from the rival campaigns of Barack Obama and Rudy Giuliani.

Mark Penn, Clinton's senior adviser and pollster, told reporters that private surveys suggested about 24 percent of Republican women could vote for Clinton because of "the emotional element of potentially having the first woman nominee."

Penn's claim that Clinton would win the support of GOP women was flatly challenged by Obama pollster Joel Benenson in an e-mail to reporters.

"Penn's assertion is entirely baseless and refuted by a number of public polls. Moreover, these polls also indicate sizable defection among Democratic women should Sen. Clinton be the nominee," Benenson said. "While it may not be her fault, Clinton appears to be as polarizing a figure as ever, showing the least crossover appeal of any of the Democratic candidates."

Penn also refuted a claim made frequently by Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani, suggesting he is the only candidate who can beat Clinton in a general election contest. Giuliani currently leads the GOP field in most national surveys.

"We have gone through a cycle with Giuliani," Penn said, referring to the 2000 New York Senate race in which Clinton and the former New York mayor briefly sparred.

Giuliani abandoned the race in May of that year after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Penn said his polling at the time indicated Clinton had pulled ahead before Giuliani left the race after trailing him in the early part of the contest. Most public polling at the time found the race essentially tied when Giuliani dropped out.

Giuliani's campaign suggested Clinton's camp may be feeling a bit anxious.

"Dispatching her top strategist to make revisionist claims in an effort to convince the Democratic base Hillary can beat Rudy in the general election sounds a bit like campaign jitters to me," said Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson.

[kellymaureen]

I would vote against that cow if she was the only cow running

[RationalThought110]

I think this could be some kind of attempt by Hillary to intimidate any women from voting for a different candidate.   Maybe she thinks she could fool women who tend to vote for Democrats, to vote for her, but plenty of other women aren't dumb. 

People should know that Hillary only cares about herself and her political ambitions.  And any time she is involved in corruption, the media gives her a free pass.


I think Mark Penn is Jewish.