Last month, Claudia Tenney of New York became the 31st GOP woman to be sworn into the 117th Congress. Ms. Tenney, like the other GOP women who flipped seats in 2020, exposed just how fragile Nancy Pelosi is as speaker. As more GOP women show their strength, Mrs. Pelosi cannot block the wave of Republican women set to overtake the House.
As a candidate for Congress in 2020, I understand the unique challenges conservative women face when they decide to run for office. But as the dust settles on the 2020 elections, one thing is clear: Republican women are a formidable force, with a strong brand from Maine to California. And with them, the Republican Party is well poised to win back the House in 2022.
Every day, Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and “The Squad” hold America hostage with their liberal outrage over our traditional values. Now, Republican women are standing up to them and for the average American — and it’s working.
In 2020, Republicans eroded th Democrats’ House majority to only seven seats. The GOP accomplished this by nearly tripling the number of Republican women in the House.
When the new freshman class came in, 44 of the 59 new members were Republican. Moreover, the vast majority of these new seats were won by women in very competitive swing districts. Eleven of the 15 seats that Republicans flipped in 2020 were taken by women.
We made these gains in the House because we had strong, smart and talented women step up. From Michelle Steele and Young Kim, to Maria Salazar and Yvette Herrell, these new congresswomen have brought a refreshing perspective to Congress.
And while GOP women are getting to work on the issues Americans care about, Mrs. Pelosi, Miss Ocasio-Cortez and The Squad continue to inflame partisan divisions, “cancel” those who oppose them and spend money they don’t have.
It’s business as usual for the Democrats.
But the 2020 elections showed that Americans want Congress to find solutions to the real challenges we face.
For the past year, we’ve seen Democrats respond to a national crisis by sticking their heads in the sand. Instead of supporting innovation in education, they’ve shut down schools. They’ve left millions of children behind, forced women out of the workforce and destroyed small businesses.
Mrs. Pelosi and the Democratic Party’s failed policies have widened the gap between Americans and reversed the progress made in recent years.
That is why so many Republican women stood up and ran in 2020. I know, because it was out of my frustration with business as usual in Washington that I decided to run.
As a single mother who built a global organization to defend human rights, I work hard to provide for my family. Every day, I have to find solutions to serious challenges. And when COVID-19 hit, like most Americans, I had to adapt.
When schools shut down, I juggled work while continuing to teach my daughter — because that’s what Americans do to provide for their families. Hard work and personal responsibility pay the bills, keep our families together and our children cared for; not the excuses and apathy that is coming out of Washington.
While Congress was abdicating its responsibilities, Americans were rolling up their sleeves to do what they needed to provide for their families.
Americans want to get back to work — and that means they need schools to reopen. But Democrats are letting special interest unions which only look out for themselves hold us and our children hostage to their demands.
In Washington, mediocrity and excuses prevail. They can’t pass a balanced budget, but they can squander our children’s future. Their ever-increasing regulations have burdened small businesses and hindered economic growth and innovation. They pay lip service to unity while shutting down dissenting voices.
I have spent much of my career defending human rights and fighting for the rights of the oppressed, and what we are seeing from the Democrats is more reflective of what I’ve seen in countries run by authoritarian regimes than the freedoms that are the hallmark and foundation of America.
But this won’t change while Nancy Pelosi and the Squad run the Capitol. And that’s why we need more strong, Republican women to replace them.
Political action groups like Maggie’s List, Winning for Women, and View PAC are helping conservative women run and have a voice in Congress.
But running for Congress as a conservative woman isn’t easy. Despite the gains made this year, Republican women remain extremely underrepresented in the GOP. Of the 122 women in Congress, 31, nearly a quarter, are Republican.
The Democratic Party’s assault on the average American has only served to inspire many more qualified women to run in 2022. And now, they won’t be alone. The new team of GOP women bring immense experience, diversity and unique perspectives to Washington. They are already fighting for common sense policies that will end the partisan gridlock to get things done.
As GOP women demonstrate their strength in Congress, it’s time we stand with them.
