Female voters are a concern for Republicans. There is evidence that this should be the case.

This week, those on the right have lost their minds over women voting for Kamala Harris — and the very idea that women can vote for whoever they want.

With polls showing women overwhelmingly supporting Harris over Donald Trump, and early voting data showing more women voting than men in swing states, MAGA’s collapse suggests this may be the case for many conservatives strong Underrated women in this election. And some of these voters seem justifiably fearful of the potential consequences of joining a deeply misogynistic movement.

And some of these voters seem justifiably fearful of the potential consequences of joining a deeply misogynistic movement.

Time will tell, but in my opinion this election always hinged on many women’s anger at the damage done by the first Trump presidency and their fear of further damage in a second term – and whether these things can persuade them to vote for Harris.

There have already been some worrying signs for Republicans on this front. The electoral reaction to the overturn of Roe v. Wade by pro-Trump Supreme Court justices gave Republicans a taste of what might lie ahead if they doubled down on literally life-threatening chauvinism. But that is the path they have chosen.

Activist Shannon Watts summed up the energy that drives many women quite well on this week’s MSNBC special on women voters, hosted by Joy Reid and Alex Wagner.

Watts said that women, particularly white women, have largely figured out that the excuse some men give for supporting Trump — that they do so for economic reasons — is just a cover for what their vote is Really about: Controlling women and exercising power over them. I would argue that Trump and his movement have made this increasingly clear in many ways. And Watts believes women are tired of the facade.

“This idea that men somehow care about the economy – I don’t think that’s true. I think it’s about preserving the patriarchy and I think women see that and want to burn it down,” Watts said.

The energy she speaks of is consistent with what I’ve heard from women voters, Democratic pollsters, Harris-Walz campaign staffers and others who have measured women’s enthusiasm leading up to Election Day. Whether it’s burning down the patriarchy or building democracy, women seem eager to get the job done at the ballot box.

Whether it’s burning down the patriarchy or building democracy, women seem eager to get the job done at the ballot box.

I recently spoke with Gabrielle Wyatt, who founded The Highland Project, a nonpartisan organization that empowers Black women in leadership positions. In August, the nonprofit released a survey of black women voters — and, in short, concluded that this is the case shot in and have an “incredibly high” motivation to “show their political power”. More than 80% of survey respondents said they were “very motivated” to vote, and 94% said combating racism and discrimination were the most important issues in this election cycle.

That may be so something This comes amid recent reports that black women — a key Democratic voting bloc — are helping drive a surge in early voters in the key states of Georgia and Pennsylvania. Wyatt told me that the fact that black women prioritize fighting discrimination doesn’t mean they don’t care about “kitchen table issues” like the economy, but rather that these women tend to see these issues as inextricable from the fight for equality regard .

I asked her to elaborate because this idea aligns with Harris’ message that women’s economic well-being is tied to the fight against misogyny. I wrote about the vice president’s artful statement when she appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast. Wyatt explained why the message seems to be resonating:

It’s important to start connecting some of these seemingly isolated topics from our research to say that we are in a system where 94% of Black women say racism and discrimination are their biggest concern when they say they are concerned about the rise of white nationalism, when they say the black maternal health crisis and the mental health crisis are one thing, we must ask ourselves: are we creating an economy in which the well-being of all People are the focus? Black women? Are we creating a democracy that centers the well-being of Black women, or are we creating something else?

Wyatt said candidates who combine these issues reflect many Black women’s holistic visions of safety – including their economic stability, the safety of their communities and their ability to make their own health decisions. Harris has focused on this message in her outreach to women throughout the campaign, and it appears to be bearing at least some fruit.

We’ll soon find out if that’s enough to get her into the White House. But right now it’s clearly making the MAGA world sweat.

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