2020: Year of the Woman?

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DETROIT (ChurchMilitant.com) - This year marks the 100th anniversary of women in the United States obtaining the right to vote — one of several reasons why commentators are calling 2020 "the year of the woman."

Another reason is the prominent role that women will have on election day this year — both as candidates and as voters.

The 2016 election saw a sharp divide between the sexes. Exit polls showed men voted for Donald Trump at a significantly higher rate than women.

Some predict this gender gap will remain, and even grow, in the 2020 election.

Issues Key to Suburban Women

At the very least, winning the female vote — especially among suburban, college-educated, caucasian women — will be extremely important in the 2020 presidential race.

Polling last year indicated President Trump was losing support among suburban women. That demographic may very well be the deciding factor this November, and both parties seem cognizant of that.

The Democratic Party strategy plays on concerns about Trump's behavior toward women, including allegations of sexual misconduct.

Another focus for the Democrats is abortion, which they brand as "women's rights." When Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, among Democrats' talking points was the possibility that Kavanaugh would help hand down pro-life rulings.

The GOP plan for winning women's votes includes highlighting the strong economy under President Trump and giving a platform to women who already support Trump politically, including women who have leadership roles in his administration.

One issue that could bring the Republican Party more women voters is transgenderism in sports. Many Democratic politicians support transgender athletes competing according to the gender they "identify" with, not their biological sex — in effect, letting biological males dominate women's sports by "identifying" as female.

More than 186 Female Candidates

Along with the importance of female voters in the presidential race, the prominence of female candidates is likewise motivating people to dub 2020 "the year of the woman."

Already, 2018 was hailed as "the year of the woman" in U.S. politics due to the plethora of women who ran for office in that year's midterms — including a number of female Democrat candidates who used fierce anti-Trump rhetoric.

The "year of the woman" moniker is being applied to 2020 for a similar reason. But along with anti-Trump female Democrats, there is also a significant number of female Republican candidates, especially for the House of Representatives.

Newt Gingrich, former GOP Speaker of the House, noted in a recent op-ed, "So far, 186 women are seeking to become House Republicans in total. The previous record was 133 women running for the House as Republicans. And filing is still open in a number of states, so the number will almost certainly increase."

Veterans and racial minorities, Gingrich noted, are also becoming GOP candidates at a higher rate than in years past.

Also on the theme of "the year of the woman," some point to the prominence of women in the Democrat presidential primaries. Three of the 12 remaining candidates competing for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination are women: Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren. (There are three other women who were running but have dropped out: Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris and Marianne Williamson.)

Some commentators predict the Democrats' push for impeachment will hurt them in the next election, with voters considering the process a waste of time in comparison to more pressing issues.

The fact that President Trump is an incumbent is also considered a plus for his campaign, since incumbent presidents frequently win their re-election bid.

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