[Shethink13]

A number of women I have talked to have identified Mourdoch’s and Akin’s statements on rape to be a deciding factor.

Nonsense! How is it that the two states those two represented both went for Romney? And by a very significant margin.

[buffaloguy]

“Nonsense! How is it that the two states those two represented both went for Romney? And by a very significant margin.”

Sorry but apparently the statements by those two goobers affected the vote as far away as Texas. I am sure that it had that effect in other areas.

[chimera]

Very simple. Voters split their ticket. Those that did made the decision in their minds that Mourdock was somehow a "pro-rape" candidate, so they voted against him as a protest, but didn't transfer that resentment to Romney, who was smart enough not to get caught in that trap.

That word, "rape", is a radioactive red flag for women voters. It cost us two Senate seats this year because our candidates weren't ready or smart enough to handle a "gotcha" question that they had to know was coming. There was that idiot candidate for Governor in Texas back in the '80s who basically handed the election to Ann Richards because he made a (stupid) "joke" about how if you know you're going to be raped "just relax and enjoy it".

Look at the polls. Prior to these stupid gaffes our candidates were up by double digits. Afterward and in the final tally they were clobbered by 10 to 20 points. There is only one answer for that kind of swing.