With just four days until Election Day, women voters have surged in early turnout, creating a nearly 10-point gender gap that is fueling optimism in Kamala Harris’s campaign.
According to TargetSmart, a Democratic-aligned data analytics firm, 53% of early voters nationwide are women, compared to 44% men—a split that mirrors the 2020 election’s gender dynamics, which helped propel Joe Biden to victory.
In key battleground states, the turnout among women has been particularly striking: women have a 14-point turnout advantage in Pennsylvania, a 12-point edge in Georgia, and an 11-point edge in North Carolina.
This enthusiasm gap is energizing Harris’s supporters, as polls indicate that she maintains a significant lead over Republican nominee Donald Trump among female voters.
Democrats attribute the higher turnout among women to issues that have mobilized female voters, particularly the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Harris has made protecting abortion rights a central campaign theme, frequently pointing to Trump’s three Supreme Court appointments as contributing factors to Roe’s reversal.
In a statement that struck a chord with voters, Harris recently criticized Trump’s remarks on women’s rights as “offensive to everybody” after he said he would protect women whether they “like it or not.”
“The women of America are definitely voting,” a senior Harris campaign official said in a briefing, underscoring the vice president’s strong performance with women compared to Trump.
Early voting data appears to confirm this, with 67 million Americans casting ballots by Friday, many of them women who tend to favor Harris.
Republicans, however, are downplaying the gender gap in early turnout. A Trump campaign official suggested that the difference might be explained by fewer Democratic men voting early.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk also acknowledged the significance of the gender disparity, urging Republican men to vote, saying:
“If men stay at home, Kamala is president. It’s that simple.”
While Democrats have seen Republican gains in early voting numbers, Harris allies argue this may reflect more Republicans voting early than in 2020.
During the last election, Trump discouraged early voting, a stance he has since reversed, urging his supporters to use all voting methods available.
In addition to the overall gender gap, Harris’s campaign has been buoyed by undecided voters who are now leaning toward her.
Internal data suggests that Harris is capturing support from previously undecided voters by “double digits” over Trump, a trend campaign officials attribute to a recent Trump rally where controversial remarks reportedly “crystalized the choice” for many voters.
Despite the Harris campaign’s optimism, Trump’s team remains dismissive, with Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, characterizing Harris as uninspiring.
“Kamala Harris has had bad news cycle after bad news cycle,” Leavitt stated, alleging that voter support for Harris has waned in recent days.
