Women outpacing men in early voting, boosting Harris campaign's optimism

Source: USA Today

Published 7:05 p.m. ET Nov. 1, 2024 | Updated 7:06 p.m. ET Nov. 1, 2024


WASHINGTON ― Women have outpaced men in early-voting turnout by nearly 10 percentage points - a trend the Kamala Harris campaign and Democrats see as reason for optimism.

But Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign insists it isn't concerned, arguing the gap is simply the result of male Democratic voters so far staying home. Four days from Election Day, 53% of early voters nationally as of Friday have been women and 44% men, according to TargetSmart, a Democratic-aligned firm that tracks early voting data.

The margin is about the same as the 2020 election won by Joe Biden, when the gap at this same point in early voting also rounded to 53%-44%. But Democrats are bullish because women - who polls show back Harris over Donald Trump by a sizable margin - have maintained the 9-point edge even though Republican voters have formed a larger share of the preliminary vote this year.

"The Democratic women, especially, appear to be just more fired up. Even though the Republicans' vote share is increasing, you're still seeing those gender gaps hold," said Tom Bonier, CEO of TargetSmart.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/01/women-outpacing-men-early-voting-optimism-harris/75990004007/