By: Juliegrace Brufke, The Hill
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said Tuesday that GOP leadership needs to “put their money where their mouth is” if they are serious about diversifying the conference and getting more women elected.
She said that while it was encouraging that House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) announced support of her efforts to boost the number of Republican women in Congress, lawmakers need to ensure that other GOP leaders are committed to diversity.
Stefanik recently said she plans to use her PAC to help female candidates succeed in primaries, drawing pushback from some GOP colleagues. The New York Republican said she will model her efforts after the Young Guns initiative — started by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in 2007 — that used a metric-based system to develop “top-tier candidates” and help them meet fundraising goals.
