Poll Tracker

If John McCain and his advisers hoped that the choice of Sarah Palin as the GOP's vice presidential candidate might help among women and peel off some former Hillary Clinton supporters, the way she handles the issue of abortion - of which she is a staunch opponent is not likely to help her, according to a Gallup analysis of data collected last May.

Gallup says that relatively few Democratic or independent women count abortion as the most important issue they consider in deciding their vote. Overall, 50 percent of women favor abortion rights compared to 43 percent who are anti-abortion. Among independents, that margin is 51 percent to 40 percent and among Democratic women it is 57 percent to 37 percent. Republican women are anti-abortion by a 63 percent to 32 percent margin.

Looking at all Americans regardless of gender, only 13 percent say a candidate must share their views on abortion, 49 percent say a candidate's stand on the issue is one of many important factors they consider, and 37 percent say abortion is not a major issue for them. Only 8 percent of independent women say a candidate must hold the same view as they do on abortion, 56 percent say it's only one of many factors and 32 percent say it is not an important issue for them. Fourteen percent of Democratic women say a candidate's abortion stance is a litmus test for them, 46 percent call it just one of many factors, and 39 percent say it is not an important factor in their decisions.