Gender considerations make a difference in evaluating presidential candidates

A new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll finds that 71 percent of voters believe Hillary Clinton has broken the glass ceiling for more women to become leading presidential candidates in future elections.
(AP photo/Matt Rourke)

A new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll finds that 71 percent of voters believe Hillary Clinton has broken the glass ceiling for more women to become leading presidential candidates in future elections. (AP photo/Matt Rourke)

A national survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University finds that gender considerations are having an influence on voter preferences in the Presidential race.

When voters are asked to think about gender before indicating which candidate they favor, support for Democrat Hillary Clinton is 13 points higher, said poll director Krista Jenkins. Meanwhile, support fades for Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

“What’s kind of interesting is that Trump seems to do slightly better among women than Cruz. So we find that gender helps Trump gain an average of four and a half percentage points compared to two and half percentage points for Cruz,” Jenkins said. “But we are really talking about a small very percentage difference in this so I wouldn’t make too much out of those differences.”

Voters were also asked whether Hillary Clinton is likely to be the only woman to become a major party candidate for president anytime soon.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

“Do you think that she’s kind of it or are there lots of women lined up right behind her who are likely to take her place if she doesn’t get the nomination?” Jenkins said. “And we find that 71 percent believe there are many others poised to follow in her footsteps with only a quarter or 24 percent who believe she is in a once-in-a-lifetime position.”

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal