CHEYENNE —Election results show that the guys dominated at the polls for the Presidential election.
The girls were the losers.
The Democrats were expecting women to unite and vote for Kamala Harris for president to demonstrate their opposition to the position of the Republican Party and its candidate, Donald Trump on women’s productive rights.
But that didn’t happen.
The Trump campaign did nothing to mollify the women; instead it targeted the men with its rude macho power image.
And then the majority of white women, including the suburban types who were supposed to swarm to the Democrat’s side, voted for Trump.
According to exit polls these women were concerned more about the economy -- namely inflation — and thought Trump could do more to give them security.
Trump also captured the white male vote as expected. And he picked up a majority of votes from Hispanic men.
According to a Reuter's poll, Harris won the black vote, men and women, and also had support from Hispanic women.
The gaggle of votes also showed that the gender gap still lives in the good old U.S.A.
The danger according to a story in Politico is that gender will become ever more important in decision making.
In an interview with Politico, Sarah Longwell, a publisher and expert at voter interviews, said that the election was shaping up to be a boy versus girl contest.
Although final election results proved that not to be totally true, her message was that this type of gap can be a danger.
“I’m worried that we’re going to move into an environment where the biggest voting indicator is no longer going to be education or geography — it’s simply going to be gender,” she said.
Anyway, Harris also joined Hillary Clinton as another woman who could not get elected as president. The glass ceiling its still intact.
Women still would like to see one of their gender serve as president just as Wyoming woman would like to see another woman serve as governor.
Citing some history, Nellie Tayloe Ross was the first woman governor of Wyoming and in the nation in the 1920’s.
Her husband, William Ross, was elected in 2022 but died less than two year later of appendicitis.
His widow Nellie was elected governor in a special election.
She served two years and was defeated by a Republican, Frank Emerson. Nellie subsequently worked years at director of the U.S. Mint.
Since then no woman has been elected governor.
The only candidates during this long period were Democrats Leslie Peterson and Kathy Karpan and Republicans Mary Mead and Rita Meyer.
Secretary of State Thyra Thomson was a always a potential candidate as a wildly popular politician who always led the GOP ticket in votes.
She was an obviously ideal candidate for governor during her 24 years in office.
One year she showed increased interest in a campaign for governor.
The story — widespread but maybe apocryphal — said a Republican higher-up came to her home in Cheyenne carrying a dead duck. He told Thyra that if she ran for governor she would end up like the duck.
Apparently the GOP already had a guy chosen to be the candidate.
It would have difficult for her to run without the support of the Republican party particularly the financial part. She never ran for governor.
Years later, after she retired, she supported Mary Mead for governor. ”The party won’t help her,” Thyra said.
The boys still rule.
————————————————————
Contact Joan Barron at 307-632-2534 or jmbarron@bresnan.net
