Campaigns debate Clinton-less ticket

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Supporters of Republican John McCain say a Democratic ticket with U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton would have negated Sarah Palin, but Obama backers say it wouldn't.

"If Hillary was on the ticket, he'd be in a much better position to win women voters," Republican Rep. Candice S. Miller told the Politico.

Sarah Palin's presence as the Republican vice presidential candidate -- coupled with Clinton's absence on the Democratic ticket -- may be debunking a political axiom -- women voters overwhelmingly favor Democrats, the Washington publication reported.

Several polls indicate white women are shifting toward GOP standard-bearer John McCain and Palin, Alaska's governor, Politico said.

Former Clinton strategist and pollster Mark Penn said that it's too soon to know where women will wind up in November, and he declined to speculate about the campaign dynamics if Clinton were on the Democratic ticket.

But Julia Piscitelli, of the American University's Women and Politics Institute, said Palin's popularity may have been lower had Clinton been on the ticket.

"I don't think Palin would be seeing these kind of gains if Hillary was on the ticket," she said. "When Obama picked Biden, it gave Republicans an opening, and they are taking full advantage of it."

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said the campaign "certainly are not seeing any movement like that."