It’s no secret that the last election was a disaster for House Republicans across the country and Republican women in particular. The Democrats now have 89 women serving in the House, compared to the ever-shrinking number of female GOP House members, now at 13.
In the months since, there has been significant reflection within the party as they address the looming crisis of the lack of women voices. Some are taking it more seriously than others, like Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is staking her political future on electing more female Republicans to office.
Others in the party … are not as serious.
A recent opinion piece argued that, in response to 2018, we need more GOP women who are not like Rep. Elise Stefanik. The argument depends on the cherry-picking of certain districts to claim a crystal-clear trend, and then some policy disagreements with the congresswoman.
My initial response to this piece’s conclusion was to laugh. But upon further reflection, I worry that it might be a real sentiment leaking into Washington as the Republican Party prepares for 2020.
As a woman in the GOP, hearing that Stefanik plans to put even more time and energy behind supporting and lifting up women in my party gives me hope for the first time in months.
The gender disparity we see between the Left and the Right is real. We do not have the luxury of picking the right Right women — nor should we want that power. Women who describe themselves as conservative, party-first, independent, moderate, and anything in between bring a unique and valuable voice that men of the same ideology cannot.
A political party is not a one-size-fits-all category. It is an organization one supports because it is usually consistent with one’s beliefs, but it is also understood that party members will have enough flexibility in their ideas for thoughtful, productive internal debates. Most importantly, that intricacies of a Republican politican’s ideology should reflect that of his or her constituents. If we are in the business of electing people to vote exclusively as the national party leadership directs, we are turning our backs on the basis of American democracy.
The reasons behind the recent Blue Wave are much more complicated than just “Republicans are too moderate.” One could make a similarly sophomoric argument to the opposite, based on the defeat of Reps. David Brat, R-Va., and Rod Blum, R-Iowa, purporting to demonstrate that ultra-conservatism is reigniting the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. As with any explanation of real-life events, there are deeper trends at work that cannot always be consolidated into a tidy headline.
Stefanik votes her conscience and puts her constituency first. If her policy positions don’t check all your boxes, that’s fine. She is still a needed voice in Congress who, I confidently assume, would encourage any and all healthy debate on those issues. My criticisms of the Democratic Party are many, but I can accept that Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., are not the same kind of Democrat. These two strong women will disagree with one another on behalf of their respective constituencies. And Democrats will wisely do their best to elect both kinds in 2020.
If, in contrast, party leaders buy into the idea that there are only certain Republican women that can fit into our party, then the party is more lost than I could have realized.
So please: Reflect, proclaim, and advise on where our party should go, but understand that Republican women need to be a part of that future. I hope that in 2020 we see female candidates from every corner of the Republican Party winning primaries and competing in general elections, and we should applaud Stefanik on leading that charge.
Rebecca Schieber is a public affairs consultant and current GOP operative. She has served on multiple Republican campaigns including as a personal aide to Carly Fiorina in 2016.
