What state has the highest proportion of White, college-educated married women with kids at home?
I’m guessing it’s actually Utah, but my first instinct as the most “soccer mom” state was Virginia
The term was first used extensively by Alex Castellanos, Bob Dole's 1996 communications director, to describe the key swing demographic of White, middle-income women with young children. Dole ultimately failed to connect with this demographic, losing suburban women to Clinton 53 to 39 percent.
Interestingly enough, 1996 saw what was then the biggest gender gap on record for a national election (11 points.) It was also the first election in which women were decisive since Dole won narrowly among men (all previous presidential winners, with the exception of maybe JFK - no national exit polls were conducted in 1960, IIRC - had won among both men and women.)
Overall, the term is an interesting touchstone in the continued feminization of our national politics. That this demographic was so hotely contested through the 1990s and 2000s (i.e., GWB's 2004 "security moms") shows that both major parties recognized the importance of messaging to (mostly educated and working) women, but explicit appeals to women of color, poor women and single women were still considered too radical. "Soccer moms" will never make a comeback because the politics of gender is now much more overtly intersectional
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