Dear Conservative Women: I Want to See You on the Ballot Too
“I didn’t plan to run for vice president this year…or ever.”
This line always earned laughs from the crowd, and it became a frequent part of my speeches during presidential campaign events in 2016. I was Independent candidate Evan McMullin’s running mate, but the root of that joke is true. I didn’t plan any of this. I’d been a digital media executive with two small children and years of loyalty to the Republican Party when I saw the dire threat Donald Trump posed to democracy, and I did the unthinkable—I ran for vice president as an Independent, against my party’s nominees.
The 2016 election was a wake-up call for many women in America. The issues we care about, like national security, health care, and the economy, were often overshadowed by gotcha stories and the latest presidential campaign scandal. We heard horrifying comments about assault dismissed as nothing more than “locker room talk.” Women disgusted by the race and its outcome now have two options: Sit down and take it, or stand up and fight for our future. That’s why I ran, and that’s why you’ve probably seen articles about the surge of Democratic women running for office. More women in politics is a good thing, especially with an exploitative bully in the White House, but we need to see a corresponding surge on the Republican side.
At the moment, there are 78 female Democrats in Congress and only 27 female Republicans. That’s a 3:1 ratio. It’s tempting to sit back when your party is in power, but Republicans holding the majority in both houses doesn’t mean all Republican women feel satisfied with the work of Washington. I hear from many young Republican women who say they are no longer sure what the party stands for, that it’s gotten away from the principles that drew them to the GOP to begin with, but that uncertainty presents an opportunity for young women to step up and lead the future of conservatism.
My experience on the campaign trail showed me that women are eager to elect more women who represent them—from every party, background, and age demographic. College-age women, mothers, and grandmothers—mostly conservative—would come up to me after events seeking a hug and a moment to say thank you for stepping into the arena, sacrificing career and family responsibilities to give them a voice. One woman with three teenage daughters in tow told me she had never volunteered or attended a campaign event before but now the moment demanded it. This experience, always humbling, continuously reminded me of the human desire to be heard. Even though Evan and I didn’t win, many women who otherwise didn’t plan to vote participated in the democratic process because of us. Some of those same women are now running for office themselves.
While the desire to run starts with ambition, some myths about the barriers female candidates face often discourage women to seek elected office. Despite what you may have heard, female candidates for Congress from both parties benefit from the same level of donor interest and funding as male candidates once they win a primary, and they win general elections at the same rate as men. And despite the rhetoric you may have heard about the GOP and women, red states are actually friendly to women officeholders. South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Alabama all had Republican women governors before prominent blue states New York and California, which still haven’t elected a woman to their highest office. Republican Nikki Haley ascended from her office as governor of South Carolina to her current role as ambassador to the United Nations, where she is often the only woman in the room. And there are more Republican women than Democratic women in statewide elected executive offices, like governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Although there are low numbers of Republican women in federal government right now, that should not be a reason to give up.
Bipartisan trust in governmental institutions is at dangerous lows. It’s difficult to trust an institution with so much power over you when it’s dominated by leaders who know so little about what it’s like to be you. Addressing the hyper-partisanship and dysfunction requires motivated, competent women candidates from across the political spectrum to run for office to address the major policy challenges our country faces.
Restoring a sense of national unity is vital right now, and women are the future of a successful bipartisan political system in America. When the federal government shut down in 2013, only female senators showed up in the middle of a snowstorm to broker a bipartisan deal that got our government running again. No matter our differences on policy issues, what can unite us is appreciation for representative government and the ideals of liberty and equality that define our nation.
I ran to give more Americans a voice in the democratic process, and I’m so glad I did. The future of conservatism, and the country, depends on women with diverse political perspectives having the ambition and the courage to join the surge of Democratic women running today to reshape our politics for years to come.
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