meet the Mortgage Moms
Every election cycle has its own important set of undecided, or
swing, voters. In 2000, it was the “soccer moms,” targeted by both
parties with appeals based on education and quality-of-life concerns.
In 2004, it was the security moms, normally Democratic-trending women
whose concerns about terrorism helped give Bush his margin of victory.
This year could mark the emergence of what might be called mortgage
moms — voters whose sense of well-being is freighted with anxiety
about their families’ financial squeeze. Democrats are betting that
this factor is strong enough to trump security or cultural values
issues.