Woo These Voters

By Nadia Mustafa Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004
    • Whoever winds up with the Democratic nomination will have to vie with President Bush not just in turning out the party faithful but also in wooing swing voters. In nearly every election, pollsters and pundits settle on at least one demographic du jour — the voting bloc that could (and sometimes does) turn the election. A look at the target voters in presidential elections over the years.

    NASCAR Dads
    2004
    Politically disaffected, working-class white males (with or without Confederate flags) who lean toward Bush

    Security Moms
    2004
    Formerly known as Soccer Moms, they are now preoccupied with terrorism and the safety of their family

    Office-Park Dads
    2000
    New-economy white-collar suburban males who swung to George W. Bush because he supported lower taxes and free markets

    Soccer Moms
    1996
    Busy suburban wives who shuttle their kids around in SUVs and came out in force for Bill Clinton

    Reagan Democrats
    1984
    Blue-collar white males who fled the Democratic Party in favor of Ronald Reagan's social conservatism

    Working Women
    1976
    The increasing number of women in the work force who were wooed by Jimmy Carter's progressive politics

    Silent Majority
    1968
    Conservatives who rejected '60s radicalism but had little visibility until Richard Nixon gave them a name — and mobilized them by promising national unity and victory in Vietnam