Obama taps Clinton adviser to head women's outreach

They say if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, but in Barack Obama's case, you can do both.

Obama today tapped Dana Singiser, Hillary Clinton's Director of Women's Outreach, to head his efforts to win women voters. The move indicates Obama is seeking to bridge the gap between Clinton's constituents and his own after the hard-fought Democratic primary race.

"As President, Barack Obama will work to make life better for women. Senator Obama will fight to keep our right to choose, and will work hard to ensure that women are given equal pay for equal work because it is wrong that women still make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes," Singiser said. “I am proud to be part of this campaign and I look forward to uniting women throughout this country to help elect Barack Obama President of the United States.”

Although exit polls don't exist for all Democratic primaries, Clinton won the female vote in 20 states to Obama's 16 in votes where the data was available. Clinton also enjoyed a 20 percentage point advantage among women in 10 of those states, according to the New York Times.

Hillary Clinton, who has supported Obama since suspending her campaign following the primaries, expressed support for Singiser's move.

"I am thrilled that Dana will continue her work with women voters on behalf of Senator Obama," said Senator Clinton. "It is so important that we elect a Democrat to the White House, and women will be critical in that effort. I know that the women who joined my campaign will continue to work with Dana and with me to make sure Barack Obama is the next President of the United States."

In addition to her expertise at culling women voters, Singiser has some experience with a grassroots presidential campaign, having worked on Howard Dean's 2004 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.