Women played a large role in helping Barack Obama beat John McCain in the 2008 race for the White House.

Perhaps one specific woman named Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and her 18 million primary supporters really gave him a boost.

Mary Gockowski, a 52-year-old Ohio pre-school worker, voted for Obama, surprising herself and joining the ranks of women who switched their party allegiance from 2004, MSNBC.com reports.

In Ohio, Obama received the support of 54% of women, compared with 53% in 2004, when President Bush beat Sen. John Kerry in that state.
In Pennsylvania, another crucial state, 60% of women opted for Obama, compared with 54% who went for Kerry in 2004. In New Hampshire, exit polls suggested that 63% of women supported Obama, compared with 54% who supported Kerry.

Women voters outnumbered men nationally by about 53 to 47%, according to exit polls. Overall, females supported Obama by 55%, compared with 43% for McCain. At least 70% of single women with and without children supported Obama. Obama and McCain were nearly even among male voters, who split 49-49%. Obama also won handily among blacks and Hispanics.

"I do like Barack Obama, but Sarah Palin was the nail in the coffin," Gockowski, who voted twice for President Bush, told MSNBC.com. "I objected to (McCain’s) judgment and to the idea that, ‘Here, we’ll give another female to the women of American because they might be dumb enough to vote for a female because of her sex.’"

Exit polls confirmed the findings of Rocky Mountain News polls over the past few months that Obama’s rise in the Colorado polls coincided with a surge in support from women. In Colorado, Obama and McCain split the male vote equally, while Obama led with women 56% to 42%.

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, a onetime Clinton supporter who switched her support to Obama, was asked by the Rocky Mountain News what a key factor was in Obama’s victory among women.

"I have two words for you: Sarah Palin," DeGette said. "Democratic women realized John McCain was capable of a cheap trick by putting an unqualified person on the ballot, just because she’s a woman."

DeGette said it became obvious that Palin’s only similarity with Clinton was her gender. "When women voters realized that, they came home," DeGette said.

Jennifer Sunderlin, a 26-year-old who typically votes Republican, said she didn’t stick with her usual party this election year.

"Don’t tell my dad, but I voted for Barack Obama," Sunderlin, of Albany, NY, told AP. She said she was turned off by Palin.

She wasn’t alone. Four in ten voters overall said Palin was an important factor in deciding who to vote for, and this group leaned slightly toward Obama. But nine in ten Republicans calling Palin’s selection important were voting for McCain.

Others weren’t convinced Obama was the right choice.

“I support (McCain) because I’m afraid if Obama gets elected we’re going to go to a more socialistic government,” said Monique Craig, a white 40-year-old administrative assistant from Boca Raton, FL, to MSNBC.com. “I don’t feel like he’s strong enough to run the country with any kind of terrorist attack.”

Craig thought a different woman as a vice-presidential pick might have improved McCain’s chances.

A Rasmussen poll going into yesterday’s election said 71% of Republicans said McCain made the right choice in picking the Alaska governor as his running mate, while 18% said she was a bad choice. Meanwhile, 65% of GOP voters say the party picked the right nominee for president.