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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The media called it a “victory lap” for John McCain, touting him as the winner of Wednesday night’s Republican debate.
But for 11 Republican-leaning women in a California conference room, the underdog — former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — came out ahead.
Arizona Sen. McCain, they said, was snide, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was “phony.” Issues were secondary to personality. And hot-button topics like abortion, and even the war in Iraq, were decidedly less important to these women than bread-and-butter concerns like the economy and health care.
“Being a woman, [I think] Huckabee overall best understands what women Republicans or voters want, need and expect,” said Christine, a 32-year-old moderate Republican.
The women, all residents of Los Angeles County, came together in a nondescript Beverly Hills conference room to watch the debate, evaluate the candidates and talk some serious politics. They were participants in a focus group co-sponsored by Politico and Lifetime Networks, which are partnering to study how women view the presidential candidates.
Politico got to play policeman, watching from behind a thick pane of double-sided glass as the women observed the debate on CNN and discussed their reactions.
California, which has more than 15 million registered voters, is a make-or-break race for Republicans. The state awards 173 delegates, the largest number of any single state. The majority, 153 in total, are doled out by congressional district, turning the state into a hard-fought ground zero for every candidate hoping to pick up delegates.
The focus group here reflected California’s diversity, with participants ranging in age, income and ethnicity. At least three were immigrants, coming from Russia, Hungary and Thailand.
Despite their differences, most felt a Huckaboom at this debate.
Seven out of the 11 women declared Huckabee the winner, even though neither he nor Texas Rep. Ron Paul had anywhere near the airtime of McCain or Romney. After viewing the debate, four of the women — almost half the group — said they had changed their vote from McCain to Huckabee.
The former Arkansas governor won Iowa, but has yet to take another gold in the five subsequent races. The latest polling in California, taken before the debate, showed Huckabee with 11 percent — far behind Romney’s 28 percent and McCain’s 32 percent.
Still, Huckabee has consistently polled better with women than with men: 40 percent to 20 percent in Iowa, for example. His gender gap was smaller in other states but still notable: He won 33 percent of the female vote in South Carolina, compared with 28 percent of the male vote. And in Florida, he pulled 18 percent of women and just 11 percent of men. Romney, while seen as professional, failed the personality test. “Arrogant,” “phony,” “Stepford wife-ish” and “a snake” were their choice words for the former Massachusetts governor. (Although they all agreed on his good looks.) One traditionally female issue that didn’t make the list was abortion. The women all said that, while they had their own personal views on the issue, it wasn’t a litmus test. They believed the issue was unlikely to change dramatically either way — no matter who wins the election.
McCain, considered the GOP front-runner after his big win in Florida, didn’t score any points with these undecided female voters — mostly because of his personal demeanor during the debate. They felt he was rude, undignified and as canned as a bad pickup line.
In general, the women respected his achievements but felt he was too snide on the debate stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in nearby Simi Valley.
Part of his problem seemed to be his wealth. Romney, who made his fortune as chief executive of the private equity firm Bain Capital, is rumored to have contributed as much as $40 million to his own campaign.
“If he became president, I can almost agree that he won’t think of anyone else but himself and the wealthy,” said Eva, 39, a Hispanic who identified herself as a strong Republican.
Romney’s Mormon faith also made some of the women uncomfortable.
“It scares me how much he’s downplayed it,” said Katherine, 42, a small-business owner. “I know if he were to win, the second he’d get into office that would rear its head.”
Overall, issues took a back seat to personal qualities.
But when pressed, the women named immigration and health care as their top concerns.
Health care, they said, is a particularly resonant issue for women, because they have and take care of children.
“We’re going to have kids, some of us do have kids, and we want to make sure they’re taken care of,” said Rita, a 25-year-old moderate Republican. “It’s the general maternal instinct.”
And, as with voters throughout the country, the women’s concerns about a struggling economy far outranked their feelings about the war in Iraq.
One point of contention was the candidates’ descriptions of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. When asked if Ronald Reagan was right to appoint O’Connor to the Supreme Court, the candidates generally dodged the question.
“This is a history-making woman, and they all said such terrible things,” said Katherine. “That made me feel like none of them were thinking, 'Well, that’s going to offend some women out there.'”
And although they said they wouldn’t vote for Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, they respected her historical position.
“I don’t think I’ll vote for her, because I don’t agree with her policies,” said Joy. “But it is a monumental step that a woman as strong as she is has come as far as she has.”
The focus group was chosen and facilitated by Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway of The Polling Company. Democratic pollster Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners has put together a similar group of undecided women voters to hear the Democratic candidates’ debate in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
