A look at the role of women voters in the 2024 Presidential election

Leading up to the election one ofthemajor storylines was the role of women in the 2024 Presidential Race.

Pundits and pollsters on television networks the gender gap has been the "defining feature of that race."

But despite that gender gap favoring Vice President Kamala Harris , exit polls Harris' edge among women this year did not exceed either former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who led by 13 points in 2016, or President Joe Biden, who carried women by 15 points in 2020.

This is despite everyone from to progressive Rep. to prominent Republican Liz Cheney publicly showing their support.

"I know that she loves this country and I know that she will be a president for all Americans," Cheney said during an in Wisconsin.

Finger-pointing is already underway almost immediately in battleground states like North Carolina.

On MSNBC, , "In the end they didn't make their numbers and essentially exceed the numbers that Joe Biden had in the suburbs. Black voters came through for Kamala Harris; White women voters did not."

Some are now crediting President-elect Donald Trump's female supporters for helping him to make the case, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who made the case during on Fox News Sunday.

"If you look at President Trump's record, when it comes to women, it was the highest number of women ever in the workforce, the largest wage and salary increase for working women ever, child care was affordable and we had safety and security whether it was a secure border or a president that supported our law enforcement," she said.

A top issue for women this election was reproductive rights, and for states with ballot measures - to protect, preserve or extend abortion rights - support that did not extend to Kamala Harris.

It's a split Democrats no doubt will be left to dissect going forward.