Why women are warming up to Mitt Romney

The gender gap was supposed to be one of Obama's big advantages, but a new poll says Romney has pulled even among female voters in swing states

Supporters of Mitt Romney cheer during a rally in Port St. Lucie, Fla. on Oct. 7.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Mitt Romney has surged to a 4-percentage-point lead in 12 crucial swing states, largely because he has erased President Obama's lead among women voters, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday. The battle for women has been a major focus of both campaigns, and is expected to figure prominently in their closing arguments in Tuesday night's debate and in TV ads during the last three weeks before election day. As a group, women tend to wait longer than men to choose their candidates, which makes them — especially blue-collar "waitress moms" hit hard by the economy's troubles — a key swing vote. Women overwhelmingly backed Obama throughout the campaign, so why are they suddenly warming to Romney? Here, five theories:

1. Romney showed them he's not crazy

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