In honor of International Women’s Day, the women of Red Alert Politics put together a short list of conservative women who have inspired us. These women have paved the way for us to succeed in a male-dominated world and are true examples of women young female conservatives should model themselves after.
Very few women have been elected to political office in the United States. According to the U.S. House archives, only two percent of all members of Congress have been female. In addition, only 34 governors representing 24 states have been women.
While International Women’s Day originally started as a celebration of female activism, including the fight for women’s suffrage, it has since become a progressive movement that women such as Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda would be proud of, making it even more important that we promote female leaders in the conservative movement who promote the values of individual freedom and liberty.
So here’s our list (in alphabetical order):
Clare Booth Luce
Clare Booth Luce was a writer and Congresswoman from Connecticut. She was also Ambassador to Italy – the first woman to hold a major Ambassadorship abroad. She is also the namesake of the Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute, which provides resources and training to up-and-coming conservative women.
Monica Crowley
Monica Crowley is a top-ranked political talk show host and political commentator. She is also a foreign policy expert, having worked as a research assistant for former President Richard Nixon, publishing several books on American foreign relations and serving as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Sandra Day O’Connor
Sandra Day O’Connor was the first female appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court and is a winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Dana Loesch
Dana Loesch is a top-ranked political talk show host, political commentator and Tea Party activist.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cathy McMorris Rodgers is a Congresswoman from Washington and is the Chair of the House Republican conference – making her the highest ranked Republican woman currently in Congress. She is also a true example of a working mother, having given birth twice while serving in Congress.
Dana Perino
Dana Perino served as the White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. She is currently a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “The Five.”
Jeannette Rankin
Jeanette Rankin was the first woman ever elected to Congress and a leader in the women’s suffragette movement. She is also the namesake of the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, a nonprofit organization that gives educational scholarships to low-income women over the age of 35.
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was a Hollywood actress, dancer and singer. A lifelong Republican and member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), she appeared in the Nixon-Lodge Bumper Sticker Motorcade in Los Angeles and was a vocal supporter of the Hollywood blacklist.
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple (Black) was one of America’s favorite childhood actors. As an adult she ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Republican and served as a representative to the United Nations and as Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia under Republican presidential administrations .
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. While in office Thatcher helped modernize the nation, deregulating the national government and taking power away from the unions. Thatcher was also instrumental in ending the Cold War and bringing about the end of the Soviet Union.
