PREPARING TO TACKLE THAT CHALLENGE HEAD ON.
>> Reporter: VALERIE IS RUNNING
FOR CONGRESS, AN INVESTMENT
MANAGER FROM THE CHICAGO
SUBURBS.
SUBURBS. SHE HAS NEVER RUN FOR OFFICE
BEFORE.
BEFORE. SHE IS PART OF A SURGE OF
REPUBLICAN WOMEN ACROSS THE
COUNTRY PLANNING TO RUN FOR THE
FIRST TIME, FOR EVERYTHING FROM
SCHOOL BOARD TO CONGRESS.
>> WHEN I LOOKED AT OUR ELECTED
OFFICIALS, I LOOKED AND SAID,
TOO MANY PEOPLE LOOK THE SAME.
THEY DON’T HAVE A BACKGROUND
LIKE MINE OR A VOICE LIKE MINE.
I THINK IT’S THE TIME.
>> Reporter: THE DISPARITY
BETWEEN REPUBLICAN AND
DEMOCRATIC WOMEN IN OFFICE IS
STARK.
STARK. AT THE STATE LEVEL, TWICE AS
MANY DEMOCRATS AS REPUBLICANS.
IN CONGRESS, JUST 21 REPUBLICAN
WOMEN IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE
COMPARED WITH 106 DEMOCRATS.
THAT MAY BE ABOUT TO CHANGE.
>> THERE WERE EVEN FEWER WOMEN
IN CONGRESS.
IN CONGRESS. >> Reporter: PATTY RUSSO HELPED
FORM THE NON-PARTISAN CAMPAIGN
SCHOOL AT YALE UNIVERSITY FOR 20
YEARS.
YEARS. ARE YOU EXPECTING TO SEE A WAVE
OF FEMALE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
IN 2020?
IN 2020? >> WE’RE ALREADY SEEING IT.
WE’RE SEEING A LOT OF ENERGY ON
THE REPUBLICAN SIDE LIKE NEVER
BEFORE.
BEFORE. >> Reporter: DEMAND IS SO GREAT
THAT, RECENTLY, THE WOMEN’S
CAMPAIGN SCHOOL HELD ITS FIRST
EVER TRAINING SPECIFICALLY FOR
REPUBLICAN WOMEN.
REPUBLICAN WOMEN. COVERING THE BASICS OF RUNNING
FOR ELECTED OFFICE, FROM
FUNDRAISING TO MESSAGING.
>> THEY BOUGHT INTO THE
NARRATIVE THAT WE’RE THE PARTY
OF ANGRY, ANTI-WOMEN, AND IT IS
JUST NOT TRUE.
WE’RE THE PARTY OF OPPORTUNITY.
>> Reporter: THE WOMEN TOLD US
THEY WERE MOTIVATED BY
EVERYTHING FROM THE KAVANAUGH
HEARINGS TO THE NEED FOR NEW
POLICIES ON HEALTH CARE AND
IMMIGRATION, AND MANY WORRIED
THE GOP WAS TAILFAILING TO APPEA
CRITICAL FEMALE VOTERS.
>> SO MANY OF US ARE REPUBLICANS
IN HIDING.
IN HIDING. >> THAT IS A BOLD STATEMENT.
YOU SAY REPUBLICAN WOMEN HAVE
BEEN IN HIDING.
WHY?
WHY? >> IT’S KIND OF HARD TO GET
BEHIND SOMETIMES, WITH SOME OF
THE STUFF THAT’S HAPPENING.
>> I HAVE FOUND I’VE OFTEN HAD
TO SAY, I’M SOCIALLY MODERATE,
FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE
FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN.
REPUBLICAN. >> SAME.
>> SAME. >> Reporter: ALMOST ALL OF YOU.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOURSELF?
>> CONSERVATIVE BUT PRO LIFE.
>> I THINK IT IS A GOOD POINT.
I THINK THAT THERE’S ROOM FOR
ALL OF THAT IN THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY.
PARTY. WHAT I’M FINDING IS THAT THERE
SEEMS TO BE LIKE A LITMUS TEST.
IF YOU DON’T PASS THESE CERTAIN
THINGS, WHICH DON’T EVEN REALLY
MATCH UP, IN MY OPINION, TO WHAT
TRADITIONAL REPUBLICAN VALUES
ARE, THEN YOU’RE NOT CONSIDERED
A REPUBLICAN ANYMORE.
>> Reporter: HOW WILL YOU ANSWER
QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW PRESIDENT
TRUMP HAS, AT TIMES, SPOKEN
ABOUT WOMEN?
ABOUT WOMEN? >> YOU KNOW, COMMENTS ON THINGS,
IT GOES BACK TO HIS TONE, OR HOW
HE WAS RAISED, OR HIS FAMILY.
I DON’T JUDGE PEOPLE ON THAT.
>> HE’S SAID DUMB THINGS.
I’LL SAY IT LIKE THAT.
IF ANY 5MY 5-YEAR-OLD AND 9-YEAR
CAN BE THE
CAN’T BE LISTENING TO THE NEWS
BECAUSE OF COMMENTS MADE, IT IS
DISAPPOINTING.
DISAPPOINTING. >> IT WON’T DISSUADE ME FROM
RUNNING.
RUNNING. THERE IS MORE OF A REASON TO
SHOW UP THERE ARE WOMEN WHO WILL
STAND UP AND BE IN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. >> Reporter: THE DISPARITY
BETWEEN DEMOCRATIC WOMEN AND
REPUBLICAN WOMEN IN CONGRESS,
HOW DOES IT HIT YOU?
>> IN THE 2018 ELECTIONS, THERE
WERE REPUBLICAN WOMEN WHO DIDN’T
MAKE IT THROUGH THE PRIMARIES.
THEY’RE NOT GETTING THE SUPPORT
THEY NEED, TRAINING, FINANCIAL
SUPPORT, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
THE OTHER THING I’M RUNNING INTO
IS THE COMMITTEES ARE PICKING
FAVORITES BEFORE THE PRIMARY.
>> Reporter:
>> Reporter: >> THAT WAS THE MESSAGE I WAS
GETTING FROM CONSULTANTS, WHO
SAID YOU’LL BE SEEN AS A
TROUBLEMAKER WITHIN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. >> Reporter: TROUBLEMAKER.
>> IF YOU DON’T SUCCEED.
YOU’VE FORCED A PRIMARY WHEN
THERE WASN’T THE NEED FOR A
PRIMARY.
PRIMARY. >> Reporter: LET ME ASK YOU
BROADLY ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS
WE’VE HEARD FROM SOME OF YOUR
COLLEAGUES WHO WANT TO RUN.
THEY’VE BEEN TOLD, WE DON’T RUN
WOMEN BECAUSE WE DON’T WANT TO
PLAY IDENTITY POLITICS.
>> I HEARD THAT, AS WELL.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY SEES WOMEN
AS AN IDENTITY AND NOT EQUALS
WITHIN THE PARTY THAT CAN RUN
NECK-TO-NECK.
NECK-TO-NECK. >> I SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY
GOING FORWARD.
GOING FORWARD. WE’RE BRINGING AWARENESS TO IT.
WE’RE HOPEFULLY BRINGING MORE
PEOPLE OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
>> I THINK THERE IS A VOID, AND
WE’RE HERE TO HELP FILL IT.
I DO HOPE THAT I CAN ONE DAY
LOOK DOWN AND SEE THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY AS DIVERSE AS THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AND STILL
STAND FOR THE CORE REPUBLICAN
VALUES.
VALUES. >> ALL OF THE WOMEN SAID THEY
KNOW THEY FACE AN UPHILL CLIMB,
BOTH WITHIN THE PARTY AND AMONG
VOTERS.
VOTERS. IN FACT, SINCE THAT INTERVIEW,
TWO OF THE WOMEN LOST THEIR
REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES.
REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES. GUYS, WHAT STRUCK ME, THIS WAS A
DIVERSE GROUP OF WOMEN WHO HAD
DIFFERENT REASONS FOR WANTING TO
GET INTO THE GAME OF POLITICS.
THEY KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT IT.
THEY’RE REALLY CHALLENGING
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. THEY’RE THAT PASSIONATE ABOUT
THE ISSUES.
THE ISSUES. >> WHATEVER YOUR POLITICS, IT IS
GOOD TO SEE SO MANY WOMEN