"We'd like to bring more of that, so we can have our government working again," she said. "The big tent of the Republican Party has been shrinking and has not been welcoming to women and minorities," Ehmann Conte told potential donors last February, speaking at the organization's launch party in San Francisco.Įhmann Conte believes women are more collaborative - and more willing to work across the aisle. ![]() Unfortunately, the left sort of own the women's empowerment movement. In California, two moderate Republicans, Martha Ehmann Conte and Jennifer Fonstad, have launched Women Run, with the goal of supporting centre-right candidates in an effort to balance the party's far-right voices. Donors reportedly include Rebekah Mercer, who, with her father Robert, was a key supporter of Trump's presidential campaign, and billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Winning for Women was launched last year to be a conservative counterweight to Emily's List. There are efforts underway to change that. In a response to Donald Trump's presidency, left-leaning women have signed up to run for office in numbers that have not been matched by the Republicans. And so they don't care about the gender of the candidate," she said. ![]() They want commitment to conservative ideology. "The donors in the Republican Party, they don't see gender. There is no comparable right-leaning organization, Swers says. The group - whose name is an acronym for "early money is like yeast" - says it has raised more than $500 million for pro-choice, female Democratic candidates, and has helped elect 100 women to the House of Representatives, 23 women to the Senate and supported 12 successful gubernatorial campaigns. The biggest example of that is Emily's List, an organization founded in 1985 around the issue of access to abortion. "Among Democrats, there is more support for this idea that you need to expand the diversity of the types of people that get elected," said Swers. One reason it may be happening, she says, is because the Democrats have made a concerted effort to recruit and support female candidates. Michele Swers, a congressional expert and professor at Georgetown University, describes the gap in female representation between the two parties as a mystery of American politics. He joined O'Brien's camp because he thinks the party needs to elect more women, and O'Brien's profile - tough prosecutor, military parent and strong conservative - seemed ideal.Īnalysis Alabama voters were sharply divided by race, religion, gender, exit polls indicate ![]() But O'Brien marks the first time he's worked with a female candidate. ![]() Her campaign manager, Jai Chabria, has spent two decades working in Ohio politics, including for Republican Gov. And my position is: look at my resume and see what I've done." 'Can't just be a male white party forever' "They want to make sure you're a viable candidate, that you're a good candidate and you can do the job. "There's a bigger hurdle to jump as a female to get the money," she said. While O'Brien imagines all women running for office face similar challenges, she believes it's an especially uphill battle for Republican women at the primary level. You know everything in that resume you've read, I've done,'" she said. People have also told O'Brien she's the best candidate "on paper" - an assessment that sparks some frustration. Carol O'Brien, 59, is a Delaware County prosecutor with 30 years' experience who is seeking the Republican nomination for the first time in Ohio's 12th congressional district.
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