Clinton Counts on Sisterhood in Ohio

Comeback hopes rest on 17% lead among female voters

By Jane Yager, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 29, 2008 4:55 PM CST

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Clinton Counts on Sisterhood in Ohio — Brooke Myers, Miss West Virginia National Teenager 2008, cheers as Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., makes a campaign stop at Belpre High School, in Belpre, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Associated Press)

Sitting on a 17% lead among women in Ohio, Hillary Clinton is playing the gender card in an effort to save her presidential bid. She holds a slim overall lead in the state, where her focus on jobs has scored with women in all age and economic brackets. "She has struck a chord with women, especially in Ohio," a strategist tells the AP.

Aware of this dynamic, Clinton has played up sisterhood, posing with waitresses and today releasing an ad clearly aimed at communicating to women that she's a safer choice than Barack Obama. Over black-and-white images of sleeping children, a voice says, "It's 3am and your children are sleeping. There's a phone in the White House, and it's ringing. Something is happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call." (Read more Hillary Clinton stories.)