– ‘Empowered to choose’ –
New Hampshire was undeniably a blow for Clinton, who won the state in 2008 thanks to the women’s vote, but she brushed off the setback on Thursday night.
“I have spent my entire adult life working toward making sure that women are empowered to make their own choices, even if that choice is not to vote for me,” Clinton said.
Despite the drubbing, nationwide poll data suggests Clinton can still hope for solid support from the female constituency as the primary race intensifies, heading next to Nevada and South Carolina.
“I think she’s still in a position to get plenty of support from women in this contest, especially relative to men,” said Geoffrey Skelley of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Even in New Hampshire itself, she still fared considerably better among women than men – losing them by 11 percentage points, whereas she lost the male vote by a full 35 points.
And at the national level, 48 percent of women say they would vote for Clinton and 38 percent for Sanders, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted from February 2 to 4. Twelve percent remain undecided.
But Clinton was put on the spot by the controversy unleashed by two high-profile backers, the feminist icon Gloria Steinem and another former secretary of state, Madeleine Albright.
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