GOP doubles female recruits for congressional races

[polychronopolous]

House Republicans have doubled the number of female candidates they have recruited to run for congressional seats this year as they seek to hold their majority and counter accusations of a gender gap with Democrats.

There are 103 Republican women, including incumbents, running for House seats this election - up from 48 in the previous election cycle, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

The recruitments could be crucial in a year where the majority is likely to be decided in suburban swing districts where college-educated women and independent voters form a crucial voting bloc.

Democrats have been busy attracting candidates in those districts, too, as the #MeToo movement and furor surrounding President Trump's policies energizes the left.



"The number of female candidates on the Republican side doubling is not an accident," said Matt Mackowiak, a GOP strategist. "That is a result of a disciplined effort to recruit strong female candidates, both from the party directly, but also from outside groups that believe female candidates give them a better chance to hold, and perhaps expand, their majority."

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the youngest female member ever elected to Congress and a rising GOP star, is getting credit for the record-breaking recruitment efforts.

After House Republicans struggled to add female members to their ranks in the last election cycle, Stefanik, 33, was tapped to lead candidate recruitment for the House GOP's campaign arm, becoming the first woman to ever hold the position.

https://www.google.com/amp/thehill.com/homenews/house/390339-gop-doubles-female-recruits-for-congressional-races%3famp