Women’s History Month: Three Congresswomen Discuss the Surge in GOP Voters and Key Issues for Women in America

The last time a Republican presidential candidate got more than 45% of the women’s vote was twenty years ago. Interestingly, Donald Trump, whom the legacy media has portrayed as a threat to women, got a percentage that astounded many. Not only does the Republican Party seem to be gaining remarkable popularity among women, but in recent years, different women have emerged strongly to provide valuable leadership. For Women's Month, we spoke with three Republican representatives about the reasons for the party's increased favorability among women and their work in this regard.

Chairwoman Lisa McClain, and Representatives María Elvira Salazar and Monica De La Cruz tell us exclusively about the challenges and commitments of the party with women.

Lisa McClain

McClain is the chair of the House Republican Conference and was elected in 2020 to represent Michigan's 10th district. She has quickly established herself as a great leader.

Before entering politics, McClain built a successful career as an entrepreneur, founding a financial services firm that helped individuals and businesses manage their wealth and financial planning. Her long career in finance gave her a clear perspective on the importance of business start-ups in overcoming poverty. Also, it allowed her to experience firsthand the problems entrepreneurs face due to high state regulation.

McClain has been vocal in advocating the importance of economic empowerment to help women and minorities get ahead. She pushes business creation as a sustainable solution to help people out of poverty. In that sense, she has always stressed the importance of reducing barriers to entry in business creation. Her business vision is also clear on fiscal matters; she advocates for lowering the tax burden, over-regulation, and, in general, the heavy bureaucracy that hinders the process of generating employment and wealth.

We asked the chairwoman why she believes the Republican Party has seen an increase in the women’s vote. She noted that Republicans are "securing the border, ending lawlessness, and ensuring only biological females are competing in women’s sports. Republicans are the party for women and common sense."

McClain further criticized the Biden administration, asserting that it "put the safety and wellbeing of women at risk with open borders, soft on crime policies, and radical gender ideologies."

During four years of the Biden administration, the Democratic Party pushed through measures that have caused a tremendous backlash among Americans, particularly among women. One issue that has generated the most outrage is the participation of men in women's competitions in schools and universities. We asked the congresswoman about this issue and her opinion on the behavior of her fellow House Democrats who opposed the bill to ban men's participation in women's sports.

"It’s insane. In January, we passed legislation to protect our girls’ rights to compete safely and fairly in sports. It’s ridiculous that we had to pass a bill to do that. Democrats are trying to set women back 50 years by destroying Title IX. Meanwhile, the Republican Party is restoring common sense, stopping the insanity, and standing up for women," McClain said.

Not only has the Republican Party achieved a surge in popularity among women, but in recent years, several women have gained visibility that makes clear the critical role of women within the party, overturning the notion, promoted for years by the mainstream media, that the party is rife with sexism.

Chairwoman McClain was elected President of the Conference, replacing Elise Stefanik, who, during her three years in that leadership position, did a job that was widely recognized and applauded even by members of the Democratic Party. We asked Congresswoman McClain about this new leadership role she has assumed by becoming the fourth highest-ranking member of the House Republican leadership and the highest-ranking woman.

"Women have shaped the Republican Party since its beginning, and the unique experiences and backgrounds of the women I serve with in the House Republican Conference have made the party stronger," McClain said. She highlighted the diversity of the Republican women in the House: "they are Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and from Asian heritage, working across various professions such as military service, broadcast television, healthcare, and more. As Conference Chairwoman, my goal is to share the spotlight with them and allow them to share their stories and experiences."

The chairwoman highlighted that the different experiences of her colleagues with diverse backgrounds strengthen the party and "will help shape the common sense policies we pass this Congress—policies that will improve the lives of women and girls nationwide."

María Elvira Salazar

Rep. Salazar is a rising leader within the Republican Party. She first came to Congress in 2021, representing Florida's 27th district, and has quickly become a valuable asset among Republicans. She is as fluent as few congressmen on Latin American issues and is very popular among the Hispanic community. Salazar has been a key part of the party's recent success among Hispanic voters.

With nearly 600,000 followers between her personal X and Instagram accounts, Salazar maintains direct communication with her voters and, in general, with the broad Hispanic community that follows her. She is the daughter of Cuban immigrants and has fought hard for that community in Congress, pushing bills aimed at protecting Cuban refugees and trying to punish the Castro regime. She has worked on bills to toughen sanctions against the dictatorships in Venezuela and Cuba and has also promoted policies to combat China's influence in the region.

Salazar has strongly promoted immigration reform, in 2021 she introduced the Migration and Dignity Act, one of her most significant legislative efforts. This bill seeks to create a pathway to legal status for immigrants who have met certain requirements while boosting border security to prevent future illegal immigration.

When we asked Salazar about the Biden administration's policies and what effect they had on American women, she said that the Democrats "pretend to be the pro-women party," but their actions say otherwise. "Democrats under Biden promoted policies and programs that directly harmed women and left us worse off," she said.

The representative highlighted the case of men's participation in girls' competitions in schools and colleges, noting the level of real harm Biden's policies caused to hundreds of girls and young women. "One clear example is the violence the administration enabled against women and girls in sports. Through an executive order and an attempted rewrite of Title IX, the Biden administration allowed biological men to compete in women’s sports, forcing female athletes to compete against males. This put women and girls at risk and stole at least 900 medals from these hard-working athletes."

Salazar also lashed out at the "diversity, equity and inclusion" policies of the past administration, "the whole obsession with diversity, equity and inclusion, greatly harmed women and those who have struggled for years to have a seat at the table because of their intelligence and merit." 

When asked about the Republican Party's policies to help women, Salazar expanded by explaining the importance of a thriving economy to really help that population group. "Our focus on restoring the economy is a focus on restoring the American family, and women are at the center of that," she said.

She said a central part of the party's plan to help women is "empowering them economically." She stressed that Republican economic policies directly help women: "Women, and especially mothers, are disproportionately burdened by bad economic conditions, like those created under the Biden administration. Inflation disproportionately hurts women, as increased child-care prices push women out of the workforce."

She also highlighted the tax cuts sought by President Trump and some financial relief for mothers. "We are also working on making President Trump’s pro-women and pro-family tax cuts permanent. President Trump doubled the size of the child tax credit, from $1,000 to $2,000 per child, which lifted millions of children out of poverty. Policies like this directly help women and their families thrive."

Salazar also mentioned the importance of other issues besides economic ones. She highlighted the rights that mothers have regarding how to educate their children: "Beyond economics, the Republicans are restoring respect to America’s women by empowering parental choice in education."

The representative also highlighted the role of several great female figures in the Trump administration who are captivating the attention of Americans for their intelligence. She asserted that Republicans are "promoting amazing and inspirational women to the highest levels of government, like Supreme Court Justice Barrett or Attorney General Bondi. These are exactly the types of female leaders we should want our little girls to look up to!"

Monica De La Cruz

Rep. De La Cruz is a conservative Hispanic woman representing a Texas border district. This attention-grabbing combination shows how popular conservative policies, including immigration issues, have become among Hispanics. Since coming to the House in 2022, she has spoken strongly in favor of strengthening border security while also considering the need for immigration reform that would allow migrants who meet certain conditions to obtain legal status.

The Texas representative advocates tax cuts and deregulation and is enthusiastic about promoting business creation. She has experience as an entrepreneur, so she knows firsthand the challenges of small business owners, particularly in Texas. De La Cruz is constantly promoting measures for a job creation-friendly environment. She is also an advocate for the rights of the unborn, has promoted pro-life policies and highlights the importance of the family in the development of society.

We asked De La Cruz what she believes are the reasons why the Republican Party has achieved an increase in the female vote, and she told us that "mothers across the country want to be certain their children are safe, and women want to know their communities are secure." De La Cruz knows firsthand the problems that open border policies have caused, particularly in border states, and pointed to that issue as one of the main reasons many women are angry with Democrats.

The representative recalled the case of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, "who was killed by two Venezuelan illegal immigrants. The alleged Tren de Aragua gang members had been apprehended at the border but released under the Biden Administration. This is why South Texans gave us a mandate to deliver on American first priorities."

When asked what initiatives she would like her fellow Democrats to support and work together for the good of the country and women, the representative spoke of the school situation and men's participation in women's sports. "As a mom, protecting girls sports for girls is a priority for me. I am a co-sponsor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act and would welcome bipartisan support on our efforts to keep biological men from competing against female athletes and protect girls’ sports for girls."

De La Cruz is also the Republican co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Women's Caucus. She said her goals in this position "are working to find common sense solutions to the challenges families across America face, including supporting policies that empower women, strengthen families, and create greater opportunities for all Americans.”