‘Wal-Mart moms’ disappointed with Obama but still have hope for him

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – We’ve had soccer moms. Sarah Palin helped usher in the hockey moms. Now, in the minds of some political operatives and a certain corporate giant, there could be a new target audience for politicians to focus on: Wal-Mart moms.

A new survey indicates that Wal-Mart moms are conflicted heading into next year’s election, viewing President Obama in a harsh light but still having hope for him.

The survey, conducted by Republican pollster Neil Newhouse and Democratic pollster Margie Omero, was done on behalf of Wal-Mart, no doubt eager to further brand its store and the importance of its customer base.

Wal-Mart moms – defined as women with at least one child under 18 who shop at the store at least once a month -- represent 27 percent of all registered women voters, meaning they are 14 percent of the overall electorate.

They also are willing to be persuaded, indicating they could be a key swing vote in the upcoming elections. The women voted for Obama in 2008, but in November 2010 they backed Republicans, helping them win back the House majority.

It’s a group that is not strongly ideological, tends to break late in elections, and is not paying as much attention to the national political scene. In focus groups with the women, perennial Washington issues – such as the debt ceiling and entitlement reform – never came up.

“The debt crisis wasn’t even in their language,” Newhouse said at a breakfast this morning hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “They didn’t bring it up. It’s jobs. It’s simply jobs.”

Compared with the overall electorate, Wal-Mart moms are younger (74 percent are between 18 and 44), better educated (48 percent had a college degree), and slightly more conservative (42 percent).

A slight majority thought government should do more to solve problems, while 43 percent said government is doing too many things that should be left to businesses and individuals.

“One said ‘Buy milk for everyone,’ ” Omero said.

About 6 in 10 of those surveyed said they worried more about their own household income and budget than about the country’s economy or national debt. They blame President Bush for the down economy, but they think President Obama has pursued bad economic policies that haven’t worked. Nonetheless, 57 percent said they remained optimistic about Obama.

Newhouse, who helped conduct the survey, is also the pollster for presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. He generally stayed away from making any predictions or talking about how the former Massachusetts governor might try to appeal to Wal-Mart moms.

“These voters are probably not the key Republican primary voters the Mitt Romney campaign are after right now,” Newhouse said. “But it does give an insight into the language that candidates should be using and the issues they should be addressing.”

When asked why Romney has hit a ceiling in the polls, topping out around 25 percent, Newhouse said, “All things come in due time. Patience.”