US Presidential Race Shaken by Women's Issues... Warren Launches Fierce Attack on Bloomberg This Time

Senator Warren Targets Bloomberg Over Sexual Harassment Issues with Female Employees

Biden and Sanders Also Embarrassed by Women's Issues... Importance of Female Voters Grows

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Senator Elizabeth Warren's arrow has now turned toward former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As Bloomberg steadily raises his approval ratings and is consistently mentioned as a candidate to challenge President Trump, Warren has launched a counterattack. Just one day after the disclosure of Senator Bernie Sanders' remark in a private meeting with Warren that "a woman cannot become president," former Mayor Bloomberg also faced backlash.

On the 14th (local time), Senator Warren pressured to "break the nondisclosure agreements between the company and female workers and allow the parties involved to speak directly about the incidents." This was an offensive response to last month's ABC broadcast reporting that former Mayor Bloomberg created an unpleasant sexual joke and hostile work environment for women working at his company.

Former Mayor Bloomberg appeared on ABC's 'The View' program and partially admitted to the allegations but maintained that there was no problem. Bloomberg said, "I have made lewd jokes and deeply regret it," but countered, "Most of the women working at my company enjoy equal pay and promotion opportunities."

This controversy is expanding into a 'women's issue' among Democratic candidates. Both former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Sanders, the top two candidates competing with Senator Warren, have faced difficulties over women's issues. Former Vice President Biden was previously embroiled in a #MeToo controversy after former Nevada Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Lucy Flores accused him of inappropriate behavior, including smelling her hair.

Warren's aggressive targeting of competitors over women's issues is interpreted as a recognition of the importance of the female vote. Unlike Trump's supporters, whose votes do not change regardless of policies or statements, female voters are considered a swing group that changes party allegiance in every election. The term 'Soccer Mom' has long been synonymous with the voting sentiment of average American women.

The Democratic Party is sensitive to women's issues because it is a point of differentiation from President Trump. During the 2016 presidential election, Trump advocated punishing women who have abortions and publicly insulted female anchors as stupid, among other misogynistic remarks. As a result, the female vote leaned toward the Democrats. According to CNN exit polls during the midterm elections when Democrats took control of the House, 59% of women voters who turned out supported the Democratic Party. Major U.S. media outlets such as The Washington Post analyzed that college-educated women living in suburban areas played a key role in the Democratic base.

President Trump appears to be watching the Democratic internal battles from a distance while attempting to exploit gaps. As Vice President Biden faltered amid the #MeToo controversy, Trump mocked him with the nickname 'Creepy Joe,' and he fueled internal strife by tweeting about the rift between Sanders and Warren, encouraging the party's internal conflict.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.