Electoral Gender Gap

This LA Times article asserts:

In these early soundings for 2006, Republicans face the potential reemergence of a gender gap that Bush narrowed in his 2004 reelection. Although men split evenly when asked which party they intended to support in November, women preferred Democrats 57% to 31%, the survey found.

Democrats hold a commanding advantage not only among single women, a traditional Democratic constituency, but among married women, a swing group that broke toward Bush and the GOP in 2004.

This LA Times/Bloomberg poll reports (among a lot of other things):

Nearly two out of three men say the economy is doing well, 53% of women say it is doing badly.

A small majority of men approve of the way the president is handling the war on terrorism, but three out of five women disapprove.

Male voters are virtually split as to who they want to control Congress, but 56% of women voters want Democrats to control both chambers

Women think Democrats come closer to representing their views (50% to 32% for the GOP), while men think Republicans do, although by a smaller margin (45% to 37%).

Women by 11 points think the Democrats over the Republicans can do a better job of handling the situation in Iraq, while men give this issue to the Republicans by 16 points.

Also, the poll suggests that if the 2004 election was re-done today, Kerry would win by 10 points.