Republican Women Wield Clout in Congress

The women’s movement traditionally has been the province of the Democratic Party, in the eyes of many. But now the Republican Party has produced nine new female members of Congress. And these conservative first-timers are making their presence felt, Politico reports.

“The new group doesn’t neatly fit the traditional model of women who run for office — the older, post-career PTA moms with grown children and more time to devote to politics,” the news service states.

Four of the nine female rookies are under 50, and they’re staunchly conservative.

“I definitely think the women are as conservative as the men are, and I see the women speaking up a lot and starting to have more of an influence within the conference,” said one of the first-timers, South Dakota Rep. Kristi Noem, who was chosen as part of the leadership before this session of Congress even began.