The fairer half: Presidential campaigns target women voters

By Peter Doocy

Published March 11, 2012

| FoxNews.com

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In 2008, a majority of women voted for then-Sen. Barack Obama, helping him win the presidency.  Two years later, most women broke for Republicans in the 2010 midterm elections.

To try and stop the GOP from going on a roll with two consecutive successful cycles, the president's reelection team will be sending out 1 million mailings to women in states that figure to be key come November. 

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Campaign officials confirm to Fox News that the female voter initiative will largely focus on health care.  Democrats want to make sure women support the Affordable Care Act, which turns two years old on March 23, and are doing so by getting help from nurses in getting this message out.

Friday, Obama previewed his new pitch at an event in Houston, Texas. 

"Women deserve equal day's pay for equal day's work," the president said to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. "Daughters should have the same opportunities as our sons."

But Republicans aren't going to just let Obama walk away with the female vote.

"Women are the ultimate swing voter," according to Republican political analyst Tony Sayegh.  "They're less ideologically rigid and they make very pragmatic decisions when it comes to who to vote for."

Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, whose state is holding a Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, predicted that Mitt Romney will be the winner, largely on the strength of his ratings with women.

"Fifty percent of the people voting in this primary will be women," Bryant said. "Governor Romney has a great favorability rating with women, and I think a southern female professional woman is going to say: Tthat's who I want to vote for.'"

While the president hits the campaign trail again on Friday with stops in Chicago and Atlanta, according to the Democratic campaign, even as it focuses on the women's vote, the president won't be personally involved in female outreach. One of his supporters explained why.

"The president, at this moment, doesn't have to do much selling at all," said Sally Kohn, a Fox News contributor.  "The Republicans are already driving women towards the president's camp."