The Year of the Republican Woman
By Olivia Jaber
The presidential election has proved to be a confusing and uphill battle that has caused 70 million Americans to question the integrity of the Democratic Party and our election system. While the jury is still out on the Trump v. Biden outcome, there is overwhelming evidence for this fact: 2020 is the year of the Republican Woman. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, 32 Republican women have been elected to join the next Congress, exceeding the 2006 record of electing 30. Back in January 2019, to the thundering applause of the progressive media, Democratic women won a significant number of seats in the House of Representatives. The creation of the “squad” as an antidote to Trump’s supposed misogyny was coupled with the narrative that women needed the Left to advance. This election silences that narrative and proves that “those women— Democratic socialists and staunch pro-choice advocates among them— didn’t represent all women.” It is inspiring to see so many conservative women throwing their heels in the ring, championing the female voices that are muted by our exceedingly liberal political culture. Despite this recent increase as part of a general trend of growing female representation in the GOP (25 percent in 2018 to 30 percent in 2020), there has been little media coverage— especially compared to the praise the press showered Democratic women with in 2018. We’re here to set the record straight.
Women like Genevieve Collins prompted the Republican Party to prioritize promoting more gender diversity in its candidate base. Elise Stefanik is a staunch supporter of increasing the representation of GOP women in Congress, “mak[ing] endorsements and spend[ing] money to help candidates win,” while leading a political action committee called Elevate (E-PAC). If the success that GOP women have achieved in the past election reveals anything, it’s that conservative women are the ones to watch, hurdling over obstacles at every turn. Though the media paints conservative women in a bad light, and the Left peddles the notion that women’s empowerment is exclusive to liberals, the reality is quite the contrary. Conservative women are empowered, we’re on the rise, and we exist outside of the pre-ordained female liberal universe. Conservative women applaud their liberal counter-parts while respectfully critiquing the flaws of the modern feminist movement. The country’s political pulse is not as one-sided as the mainstream media would have us believe.
Aside from the GOP as an institution itself, President Trump has a record of elevating conservative women in his administration. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kayleigh McEnany, and Hope Hicks are a few examples of the powerful, intelligent, hardworking conservative woman working in the Trump Administration. Last week on live television, the President explained that this is the year of the conservative woman. The Trump Administration is full of beautiful, intelligent, and driven conservative women who all have one thing in common— they love America and Trump’s vision for it. With an overwhelming presence in the White House, it is clear that the deceitful picture of misogyny painted by the media and the liberal mob of Trump and his administration is false. The Republican woman is the individual the Left intentionally chooses to misunderstand and loves to hate. But that won’t stop the team of Republican women elected to Congress this past election, and it won’t stop the millions of young and ever empowered conservative women across the country.
The Republican woman is rising from the flames, motivated to help tackle the future challenges present amid our political climate. With wonderful role models and a majority Republican Senate, there is much promise and hope for the next generation of conservative women and their futures. There is a place for conservative women at the table, and now is our time, more than ever, to question the feminist status quo, and build a future that empowers us.
From Amy Coney Barret to Michelle Fischbach, Republican women prove that you can do it all— from family to faith, to your career, you do not have to compromise to be successful and make a difference. It is no surprise that the attention these Republican women receive starkly differs from the thunderous applause that follows AOC wherever she goes. During Amy Coney Barret’s hearings, Lindsey Graham noted, “I want every young woman to know there’s a place for you in America if you are pro-life, if you embrace your religion, and you follow a traditional family structure — that you can go anywhere, young lady.” While he is right in that “to be a young conservative woman is not an easy path to take,” Graham reminds us that regardless of the climate, conservative women have a voice and a right for it to be heard.
Differing views on sex, abortion, and a dedication to faith and family are not mutually exclusive to empowerment. As women, we should question why we’re forced to choose between career and family and why that distinction has a societal connotation, to begin with. Amy Coney Barret should be the new standard in what “feminism” looks like. She retains the unique blessing women have to raise children but also has a meteoric career. She’s devoutly religious and married, yet she has a balanced relationship that empowers her. She’s found empowerment in every way in which the Left finds oppression.
Though the media won’t be caught telling you it’s an important year for Republican women across the country, The Conservateur is proud to highlight such a monumental feat. Having more Republican women elected to Congress defies fossilized conceptions of feminism and female empowerment. It brings a diversity in opinion and perspective offered by Republican women that would never be entertained by Democrats. By reaching a “more equal representation of constituents,” our country is closer to including the concerns of women who do not abide by the laws of the Left. Knowing that so many Republican women have successfully battled into important positions within politics gives me peace of mind that my beliefs and values will be reflected in a time where so many of them are overlooked and written off. I’ve always been proud to be a woman, but 2020 has made me proud to be a Republican woman.
Photo via @flotus
