My must read of the day is "Why Unmarried Women Are the Key to 2014," in Politico:
Last week, Washington discovered unmarried women. As pollsters who have been studying this group of voters for years, we say: Welcome to the party. Admittedly, it’s an unusual way to slice the American electorate. After all, it’s not like widows, divorcées and single women in their 20s think of themselves as a group, as a unique voting bloc or even call themselves "unmarried women." They are more likely to call themselves "working women."
But marital status is one of the strongest predictors of whether a person will vote and for which party, which is why so many progressives and Democrats are paying attention now. […]
You might assume that unmarried women are the main target for Democrats in 2014 because they are pro-choice, pro-birth control, and pro-women’s health. While it’s true—these women are pro-choice—our research shows that what motivates them to vote are economic issues, particularly those that affect working women and mothers. In Virginia, much of the Democrats’ advertising was focused on abortion and contraception and no doubt increased Democratic support, but it did not raise turnout among unmarried women.
Does the focus on abortion and reproductive rights hurt Democrats? In midterms it seems like it does. And it's not because these women are no longer pro-choice, it's because they're busy worrying about other things.
That's not surprising.
Abortion issues are contentious and matter greatly to many people, but people show up to vote when they feel like something's impacting them directly. Abortion rights, regardless of your stance on it, will not bring voters to the polls like jobs or the economy because it doesn't affect the average person everyday.
If Democrats realize—and it seems they have—that economic issues are the key to turning out single female voters, Republicans should be worried. Democrats have tapped into "pay equality" and from a strategic standpoint it's incredibly smart. It's smart because the majority of single women support it (75 percent of millennial women say more changes need to occur in order "to achieve gender equality in the workplace") and smart because pollsters have found that they support it enough to show up and vote.
It has the potential to turn out a group that typically does not vote in midterms. With close races in places such as North Carolina and Louisiana, turn out easily decides who wins.
Not to mention, "Republicans voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act" is an easy and concise talking point. The explanation for why is more difficult messaging.