Clinton candidacy sparks women's interest: poll

By Ellen Wulfhorst

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Most American women remain uncommitted on a choice of a presidential candidate, but nearly one in four say they are more interested in the 2008 race than usual because a woman is running, a poll said on Wednesday.

One in four was more likely to vote because Sen. Hillary Clinton is in the contest, said the survey of more than 1,000 women for Lifetime Network, a cable network with programming aimed at women.

Of those, about two-thirds said they would vote for Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, and the remaining third would vote against her.

Seven percent said they would not vote for any female presidential candidate.

Of those polled, 23 percent said they were paying more attention to the election in November 2008, when Americans will choose a successor to President George W. Bush, because a woman is among the major candidates.

Seventy-seven percent were not yet committed to any candidate, but 82 percent said they were definitely or probably voting in the election.

According to 39 percent of the women, this election is more important than previous ones, the poll showed.

Of the women who said they were Democrats and committed to a candidate, 70 percent backed Clinton and 16 percent supported Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.