New Results from Rasmussin

[NashVegas]

If McCain’s strategy was to reach out to women voters, however, thus far it hasn’t been successful. The night after the announcement, slightly more women voters viewed Palin as the right choice for McCain’s running mate, but now 41% say she was not, versus 36% who still believe she was a good choice. Forty-one percent (41%) of women say they are less likely now to vote for McCain because of Palin, as opposed to 31% who say they are more likely to support him. Women voters were essentially even on this question in the earlier survey.

But even a plurality of men (47%) say Palin is not ready to be president in the event of the 72-year-old McCain being incapacitated while in the White House, although 32% believe she is ready. Women voters by a nearly two-to-one margin believe Palin is not ready.

The gender gap on Palin is likely a reflection of the larger gender gap in American politics. Women are more likely to vote for Obama while men are more likely to vote for McCain.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/52_still_have_favorable_view_of_palin_but_partisan_gap_widens