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U.S. NEWS Thursday 27 sepTember 2018
WOMEN PROBLEM though Republican lead- Pelt told The Associated
Continued from Front ers who control the process Press.
While there are political have excluded them from The Republican Party's
risks for both sides, a vo- the hearing. Nor have they woman problem began
cal minority in Trump's GOP allowed witnesses or further long before Trump's rise.
warned that their party's federal investigation. It hit a low point after con-
strained relationship with Trump lashed out at the servatives blocked the
women could suffer per- women during a Wednes- Equal Rights Amendment
manent damage if the Re- day press conference while in the late 1970s, fell lower
publicans who control the acknowledging his person- in the early 1990s after Re-
confirmation process ig- al experience with allega- publicans grilled Anita Hill
nore mounting allegations tions of sexual misconduct about sexual harassment
of sexual misconduct and — he has denied accusa- claims against Supreme
give Brett Kavanaugh a tions from more than a doz- Court nominee Clarence
lifetime seat on the nation's en women — has shaped Thomas, and fell yet again
high court. his perspective on Kavana- in 2014 after one Repub-
"I do not believe the claim ugh. lican Senate candidate
of sexual assault is invalid "What they've done to this raised the prospect of "le- In this Oct. 27, 2004 photo Rachel Mitchell makes an opening
because a 15-year-old girl man is incredible," the pres- gitimate rape." statement in the trial of Karl LeClaire at court in Mesa, Ariz.
didn't report the assault to ident declared. "It's a big, The GOP's relationship with Associated Press
authorities, as the president fat con job." women may have hit rock
of the United States said just Trump also falsely claimed bottom in 2016 after Re- since. In the 2016 presi- jority of college-educated
two days ago," Republican he won the female vote in publicans elected a presi- dential election, for exam- white women now hold an
Sen. Jeff Flake, who is not the 2016 election and sug- dent who bragged on vid- ple, 54 percent of women unfavorable view of Trump
running for re-election this gested that women sup- eo about grabbing women backed Democrat Hillary and his party. The most re-
fall, said Wednesday. "How port the GOP approach on by their genitals. Clinton while 41 supported cent Gallup poll shows that
uninformed and uncaring Kavanaugh. More women supported Trump, according to exit 35 percent of women na-
do we have to be to say "Women are so angry. And Democrats than Repub- polls. tionwide approve of Trump.
things like that, much less I frankly think, I think they licans for the first time in While Trump survived the At the same time, men
believe them?" like what the Republicans the 1980 presidential elec- 13-point gap, Republican appear to be leaving the
The Arizona senator add- are doing," he said. tion — a phenomenon strategists are particularly Democratic Party.
ed: "How many times do Jennifer Pierotti, co-found- commonly referred to as a concerned about the shift A Reuters/Ipsos polls earlier
we have to marginalize er of Republican Women "gender gap." The disparity in college-educated white in the year found white mil-
and ignore women before for Progress, disagrees with repeated itself for the first women, who play an out- lennial men who favored
we learn that important les- the Republican president's time in a midterm election sized role in the suburban Democrats by a significant
son?" assessment. She's frustrated in 1986, said University of districts that will decide the margin in 2016 now favor
Kavanaugh has vehement- with their party's moves on Virginia professor Jennifer House majority this fall. Republicans. Chris Wilson,
ly denied all sexual miscon- Kavanaugh and the ab- Lawless. While Clinton won a narrow a Republican pollster work-
duct allegations. sence of Republican wom- With few exceptions, Dem- majority of the demograph- ing on several campaigns
Even before his accus- en on the Judiciary Com- ocrats have enjoyed a sig- ic in 2016, polling suggests this fall, has found a similar
ers came forward, 2018 mittee. nificant gender gap ever that the overwhelming ma- phenomenon.q
had already emerged as "They never really invested
the year of the woman in in getting more women
politics. But with control of into the pipeline to run for
Congress and state houses office," Pierotti said. "When
across the nation at stake, you don't do any of those
it's Democratic women things for a long enough
who are most engaged. time, you're not going to
A total of 603 women are have women at the table
still in the running for Con- on the Republican side
gress or statewide office when you're coming up
this year, according to with policies or you're mak-
Rutgers Center for Ameri- ing big decisions."
can Women and Politics. For now, the GOP is moving
Of that group, just 108 — forward quickly.
fewer than 2 in 10 — are Procedural votes on Kava-
Republicans. naugh's appointment to
Thursday's hearing has the Supreme Court could
highlighted the GOP's defi- come as early as Saturday.
cit with women. Activists are urging the par-
None of the Republicans ty to slow down.
on the powerful Senate "It's never too late" for Re-
Judiciary Committee are publican leaders to begin
female. Party leaders hired to repair their strained rela-
what Senate Majority Lead- tionship with women, said
er Mitch McConnell called Toni Van Pelt, president of
a "female assistant," a the National Organization
special victims prosecutor for Women, who declared
based in Arizona, to ques- that men like Kavanaugh
tion Christine Blasey Ford, "don't care about women."
who alleged that Kavana- "The way they can make
ugh sexually assaulted her amends is by canceling the
when they were both in hearing, by admitting it's a
high school. sham, by admitting they
At least two more women have disrespected women
have alleged misconduct, their entire lifetimes," Van