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Americans Feel U.S. is Ready for Woman President
- Many adults in the United States believe their country would have no problem with a female politician occupying the White House, according to a poll by the Siena Research Institute for Hearst Newspapers. 62 per cent of respondents think the U.S. is ready for a woman president in 2008.
Neither of the two major political parties in the U.S. has ever nominated a woman for president. In 1984, New York congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale's vice-presidential nominee in the Democratic ticket.
In 1999, North Carolina senator Elizabeth Dole pulled out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination before the primaries. In late 2003, former ambassador and Illinois native Carol Moseley Braun sought the Democratic presidential nomination, but withdrew in January 2004 to support former Vermont governor Howard Dean.
As far as how a potential woman president would perform, 63 per cent of respondents believe she would be better at handling domestic issues, like education and health care policy, and 38 per cent think she would fare well responding to a natural calamity, such as a hurricane.
Polling Data
Do you think the United States is ready for a woman president in 2008?
2006 | 2005 | |
Yes | 62% | 64% |
No | 28% | 28% |
Not sure | 10% | 8% |
Would a woman president be better than a man president on...
("Better" answers only)
Domestic issues, like education and health care policy | 63% |
Responding to a natural calamity, such as a hurricane | 38% |
Dealing with a crisis in Social Security and pension plans | 32% |
Developing energy policy | 22% |
Foreign Policy | 22% |
Commander-in-chief | 19% |
Source: Siena Research Institute / Hearst Newspapers
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,120 registered American voters, conducted from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3.9 per cent.