What are Independent women voters in key battleground states thinking? Our WOMEN VOTE! Research will tell you

Last month, we introduced our first findings of our 2012 WOMEN VOTE! Research, where we learned that women do not believe Washington is working for families like theirs. And now, we‘re back with more research that we think you’ll find fascinating.

• Obama holds an 8-point lead, garnering 48% of the vote to Mitt Romney’s 40%
• Democrats have a 7-point lead in a generic trial race for Congress
• Congressional Democrats get significantly more credit than the GOP on economic issues, such as holding millionaires and billionaires accountable for paying their fair share and for working to build an economy that works for the middle class.
• 71% of these women stated that the GOP attempt to block the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act is a convincing reason not to vote Republican
• 69% of these women find the Ryan Budget’s cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, housing, and education as a convincing reason to not vote for Republicans.
• Retirement security, including Medicare, and the need for affordable health care top the list of these women’s of concerns. And young women! They cite retirement security in surprisingly high numbers.
• Democratic candidates are described as more likely to protect a women’s right to make her own health care choices free from government intrusion—including birth control.

Moreover, there is a double-digit advantage for Democrats on understanding how hard it is for struggling families to makes ends meet, lowering health care costs and building an economy that works for the middle class. While Republicans, by double-digit margins, are seen as supporting “politics that only benefit the rich and big corporations,” being “too willing to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits,” and being “out of touch.”