Binder, who was born in London but has lived near the real London Bridge in Lake Havasu City for more than 20 years (and is a member of the London Bridge Republican Women's Club), believes many Republican women will vote for the Democratic ticket, even though it may be a reluctant, "rational decider" vote. "I don't think anybody will know until Election Day," she says in the British accent she still hasn't lost. "I've got a lot of friends who have been staunch Republicans that feel totally abandoned by this administration."

Binder, who claims she is still undecided, says the Kerry-Edwards ticket is the better choice for women. "The Republican Party has been so captured by the Christian Coalition and the right-to-lifers. They've just about destroyed women's rights and human rights. I would imagine from that perspective the Kerry-Edwards team is a lot more appealing."

Gov. Napolitano, who was named one of six Kerry debate advisors last month, agrees. "I definitely believe the Kerry ticket favors women on a whole host of issues," she says. "On the domestic side, with things like healthcare, child care and education, Kerry is much stronger."

Fannin counters that national security is priority No. 1 for women. "Most women that I talk to believe that we will have a safer place to live if we have a positive, decisive president," Fannin says. "They don't believe Senator Kerry would provide the kind of leadership that President Bush has on security issues." WISH's Carstens agrees. "Many soccer moms have morphed into security moms," she says, "and think security is probably the No. 1 issue."

"Are we safer today?" Judith Allen asks. "No." But that's not the only reason she's campaigning against Bush. Allen cites a laundry list of reasons why she and other Republicans are championing Kerry; since she joined the campaign in mid-July, her role in Republicans for Kerry has expanded rapidly. "It evolved because we had so many [Republican] people calling, saying, 'How can I get involved?' They knew I was a Republican and they felt comfortable talking to me. It's kind of like, 'It's all right. You have a friend.'"

One of Allen's new friends is Phoenix teacher Catherine Wyman. At the group's behest, Wyman, a registered Republican-cum-Kerry volunteer, paid to attend a recent luncheon in Phoenix in which Wade Sanders, a friend of Sen. Kerry's since the '60s who also commanded a Swift boat in Vietnam, spoke to a group of about 30 Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Sanders' stop in Phoenix was one of many during his tour of Arizona, in which he met with veterans, undecideds and Kerry supporters.

"I just don't think our country can survive four more years of George Bush," says Wyman, who flirted with the Libertarian Party for two years but remains registered with the GOP. "I think that the war in Iraq is nothing short of criminal. And I think that his unilateral decision to attack a sovereign nation, it just was horrible and played right into the hands of al-Qaida."

In Arizona, perhaps enough women agree with Wyman, Binder and Allen to render the Electoral College vote a horse race. "It depends on how tight the election is," says Robert Robb, veteran political columnist at the Arizona Republic. If only 1,000 Republican women switched sides, that would be more than the margin of victory in both New Mexico and Florida in 2000. However, Robb doesn't expect that enough Republicans -- of both genders -- will trade parties to turn Arizona blue. "I think Kerry made some ground in the debate on Thursday night," he says. "But I don't see what, short of a national landslide by Kerry, would change the election here."

Still, says Sue Walitsky, communications director for the Kerry-Edwards campaign in Arizona, Democrats haven't given up. "We have probably the strongest field operation that this state has even seen; strong in terms of number of people, resources, reach across the state. We are running a ground game here," she says. (The third presidential debate is scheduled to take place at Arizona State University on Oct. 13.)

So what's a moderate, pro-choice Republican woman to do? For her part, Allen believes it's a sign of maturity that enables voters to cross party lines. "I used to think, and I know many people do, you define yourself by your party," she says. "And since I have not been in [elected] office, I've realized, first, that I am an American. And I really don't want to be defined as a party because currently the party doesn't represent me."

Allen hasn't yet pulled a Teresa Heinz Kerry and registered as a Democrat. "I truly believe that I can help change this [Republican] party," she says. And she has some words of encouragement for Republicans who want to come out of the Kerry-Edwards closet. "It's OK," she says, "you can come forth and, honest to God, no one will shoot you."

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