ABSTRACT
Both political party strategies and popular rhetoric surrounding presidentialcampaigns routinely emphasize the influence of gender on American voting behavior. This has been particularly true in recent presidential elections cycles, when Republican margins of victory in 2000 and 2004 were nothing less than razor thin. Accounts of “Soccer Moms,” “Angry White Males,” “NASCAR Dads,” and “Security Moms” have peppered the airwaves and newspaper accounts of modern presidential campaigns, often suggesting that the Republican and Democratic Parties’ electoral fortunes hinge on their respective abilities to attract male and female voters. Is this really the case?
