Boston Globe

Susan Milligan

June 13, 2010

“A record number of Republican women are running for federal and statewide offices this year, encouraged by GOP recruiting organizations, the high-profile candidacy of Sarah Palin in 2008, and voters who see the women as natural agents of change, according to political analysts and officials.

“Such an influx is expected to have significant implications for the image of the Republican Party, which has long been seen as a party dominated by white men. As the number of female voters continues to rise, more diverse tickets would broaden the appeal of the party, especially with independent voters who could be critical in several fall midterm races, said Jan Larimer, co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.

“‘It’s time for a new generation of conservative leaders,’ said Kelly Ayotte, a former New Hampshire attorney general running for the GOP nomination for US Senate. ‘We need reform in Washington. Look at what the good old boys network has gotten us.’

“The Democratic Party, tapping into the feminist and abor tion rights movements for support, has traditionally offered the vast majority of female candidates. But that dominance has changed.

“This year, 201 GOP women are running for the US Senate, US House, and statewide offices, more than in any other year, according to Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics, a nonpartisan organization at Rutgers University.

“Of that group, a record 140 Republican women have filed to run for the US House and Senate, almost twice the number who ran in 2008 and well over the 102 who sought those offices in 1994, the previous record.”