By Ashley Oliver
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is boosting Republican women candidates ahead of next year’s midterm elections and appeared at an event Tuesday with the eight women her political action committee has so far endorsed for 2022 races.
Stefanik told Breitbart News in an interview after the event, which took place at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, that she believes nothing terrifies Democrats and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) more “than strong, outspoken, conservative women.”
“There is nothing more terrifying to a Democrat than conservative women. There is nothing more terrifying to Nancy Pelosi than strong, outspoken, conservative women. We saw in the 2020 election cycle that Republican women led the way in flipping a number of seats, and, remember, this was sort of a sleeper win for the House in the election cycle,” Stefanik said.
Stefanik, the House GOP Conference chair, has largely been credited with the success women saw in flipping seats to red in 2020 after E-PAC, her leadership political action committee she established in 2018, endorsed 30 women in 2020 and saw 18 victories out of those endorsements. Republicans in general outperformed Democrats with a stunning 15 seat flips in 2020 compared to Democrats’ three.
“They thought Nancy Pelosi was going to pick up seats, when, in fact, Republicans won 15 seats, 11 of which were flipped by Republican women. We are building on that success in 2020 and have strong conservative women who are running in the 2022 election to fire Nancy Pelosi once and for all,” Stefanik said.
A top issue for voters now, Stefanik pointed out, is inflation, a growing issue in the country as consumer confidence plunges and the Biden administration continues to promote a string of multitrillion-dollar spending bills, the latest being the $1.7 trillion Build Back Better Act, the social component to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure agenda.
“When I talk to women, and just generally voters in my district, on every single issue, Democrats have failed them,” Stefanik said. “Whether it’s inflation — they’re seeing that Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi’s failed policies and reckless spending have led to historic inflation, and that hurts families the worst.”
Stefanik, who in 2014, at age 30, was the youngest woman on record elected to Congress, recently had her first child and said that in addition to the economy, education reform is a hot issue that resonates specifically with parents, especially as school boards and parents are seen at odds on a national stage over issues like teaching critical race theory, masking children, and transgender policies.
“I’m a new mom. I have a three-month-old, Sam, and education was very important to me as I grew up, and it was something that my parents instilled in my brother and I, giving us the best educational opportunities, and that’s what I want for Sam, and I’m already thinking about that and he’s only three months old,” Stefanik explained. “I think moms and dads want to make sure their kids get the best education possible to succeed in America … and what we’re seeing is this far-left agenda being pushed through national organizations, whether it’s teaching of the critical race theory in teacher training programs or integrating it into curriculums. We’re also seeing school districts withhold curriculums from parents, which, by law, they’re required to have parental engagement plans to make sure that parents are able to have transparency into what their kids are being taught in schools.”
Stefanik noted education policies gained attention after local governments forced virtual learning on K–12 students last year and “really opened parents’ eyes to the failures” of some school districts. She indicated that the issue was reinforced by the success Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) — who made education a centerpiece of his campaign — saw in his gubernatorial race.
“You saw parents really get engaged in this process, and these weren’t typically political families,” Stefanik observed.
This next election cycle’s first slate of E-PAC-backed candidates, who all appeared with Stefanik on Tuesday, are Monica De La Cruz (Texas), Karoline Leavitt (New Hampshire), Esther Joy King (Illinois), Lisa Scheller (Pennsylvania), Amanda Adkins (Kansas), Jeanine Lawson (Virginia), Jen Kiggans (Virginia), and April Becker (Nevada).
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