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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 22 November 2018

As number of GOP women in Congress dips, party seeks answers

By ALAN FRAM congressional leaders. “It’s er the gains they needed
Associated Press a natural conclusion. An to win House control. Men
WASHINGTON (AP) — For environment has got to be supported Republicans
congressional Republi- created where that can be over Democrats, 51 per-
cans, this month’s elections a success.” cent to 46 percent.
ushered in the year of the Evidence of the GOP gen- Strategists note the issue
woman — literally. der gap was just as clear isn’t just about current per-
West Virginia’s Carol Miller in the 100-member Sen- sonalities; it’s about party
will be the only Republi- ate, where Tennessee Rep. infrastructure.
can woman entering the Marsha Blackburn will be “We as a party have to
435-member House as a the only Republican fresh- make recruiting women
newcomer in January. man. If Mississippi Sen. Cin- candidates who can win
She’ll join what may be the dy Hyde-Smith wins a runoff a high priority,” said An-
chamber’s smallest group later this month there will drea Bozek, spokeswoman
of female GOP lawmakers be record-setting seven for Winning for Women, a
since the early 1990s — as In this Nov. 15, 2018, fie photo, Rep.-elect Carol Miller, R-W.Va., GOP women in the Repub- fledging GOP group that
few as 13 of at least 199 Re- walks to a session during member-elect briefings and orientation lican-run Senate. But even tries bolstering female Re-
publicans. Democrats will on Capitol Hill in Washington. that record is less than half publican candidates. She
have at least 89. Associated Press the class of 17 Democratic added, “Unless people in
Numbers like those have voters could carry over to being branded the party of women, which includes leadership really make it a
Republicans searching for 2020, when President Don- men. two freshmen. priority, I don’t think it will
answers to the glaring gen- ald Trump will be seeking “You will see a very sig- The search for answers happen.” A record number
der disparity in their ranks a second term and House nificant recruiting effort leads to some familiar of women ran for the House
— and fast. The concern and Senate control will be occur” for women candi- places. President Donald as major-party candidates
is that Democrats’ lopsid- in play. If the current trend dates, said David Winston, Trump’s fraught history with this year. But Democrats
ed edge among women continues, Republicans risk a pollster who advises GOP women, combined with outnumbered Republicans
the #MeToo movement by nearly 3 to 1, according
against sexual harassment, to AP data, and Democrat-
helped motivate Demo- ic women were more likely
cratic women to seek of- to win their primaries.
fice but did not appear to Of those contenders who
have the same effect with ran in November, 183 were
GOP women, politicians Democrats, the most ever,
and analysts say. More according to the Center
broadly, the president’s for American Women and
brash style doesn’t sit well Politics at Rutgers University.
many women voters or po- Fifty-two were Republicans,
tential candidates. a near-record but a frac-
“Women don’t like the tion of female Democrats
tweets,” said Sarah Cham- running.
berlain, president of the Re- That partisan imbalance
publican Main Street Part- was aggravated by Demo-
nership, a moderate GOP crats’ superior campaign
group. “I don’t know how infrastructure for helping
to tone down the rhetoric. women candidates.
If I could have a fantasy, Winning for Women, cre-
one wish, that would be my ated in early 2017, says it
one wish.” spent more than $1 million
Women backed Demo- helping women candidates
cratic candidates over for the recent election. That
Republicans on Election and other GOP groups as-
Day by a telling 57 percent sisting women candidates
to 41 percent, according couldn’t match Demo-
to AP VoteCast, a wide- crats’ 33-year-old Emily’s
ranging survey of the elec- List, a well-financed orga-
torate conducted by The nization that poured tens
Associated Press. Women of millions into primaries
broke by similar margins in and general elections and
the crucial suburbs, where provided recruiting, train-
Democratic victories in ing and other services to
swing districts helped pow- female candidates.q