During her trip to Charlottesville Friday, Michelle Obama's expected to talk about what's at stake for women in the upcoming election, and it already has women in Charlottesville doing some talking of their own.
"Women's issues have been a problem and they continue to be one," Obama campaign volunteer Camilla Griffiths said.
The women in Charlottesville's Obama campaign office say that's why there's a gender gap between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.
With the help of Linda Perriello, former 5th District Congressman Tom Perriello's mom, volunteers called area women Tuesday, trying to get them pumped for Obama's visit Friday.
Recent polls, including one from Public Policy Polling out last week, show Obama with a significant lead among female voters in this crucial swing state. The women in the Obama office say issues like funding for Planned Parenthood and increasing restrictions on a woman's access to abortion services, is driving more women to the left.
"He has been the first president in a long time that has stood up in a strong way for women's rights and has shown a very proactive interest in the way women get treated by the government," Griffiths said.
The importance of the female vote is something Republicans also recognize. A group called Concerned Women for America opened an office in Ruckersville just last week to get more women to vote conservative.
"53% of the people who vote are women, so there is a little bit of a skew there, and so we want them to take that role seriously and thoughtfully," Patricia Phillips told NBC29 at their office opening earlier this month.
With an economy seemingly stuck in neutral, Republicans hope that's what it takes to get more women to vote Romney.
