A new group, Red State Women, launched this week in response to efforts by leftist groups, such as Battleground Texas, to turn Texas blue after protracted efforts to use abortion as a wedge issue against conservatives.
The new Republican group, led by Cari Christman, is resolved to offer a firm voice for conservative women in Texas–despite “War on Women” rhetoric.
State Sen. Wendy Davis’ filibuster against the 20 week abortion ban, along with her constant push to appeal to Texas women, is what ultimately inspired Christman to form her new group. Chistman told Breitbart Texas, “When Davis gave the controversial filibuster on abortion, Republican women said, ‘Senator Davis does not speak for me. I disagree with her.’ So I began thinking, how do we convey this message collectively?”
Chistman noticed that there was no avenue for conservative women in Texas to express their opinions. “That’s our mission, is to take our message state-wide to speak for all Republican women. And frankly, we want all Texas women, regardless of political beliefs, to hear us.”
Red State Women plans to carry out their mission through a social media messaging strategy. Christman said, “We want to meet women where they are. I’m a mother and a working woman, so I realize how difficult it is to keep up with politics in a 24 hour news cycle. When women get home from work, sometimes the last thing they want to do is turn on the news and listen to a bunch of rhetoric…Women today are online and we need to meet them there.”
Each Red State Women video will allow viewers to “meet” different Texas women, who will speak for themselves and tell a personal story. Their goal is to have Texas women feel comfortable in the Republican Party in a personal way.
The group launched with one such video Sunday, and so far the response from conservative women has been “amazing.” Democrats, however, wasted no time attacking Red State Women, according to Christman.
)“Democrats automatically assumed we are somehow connected to D.C. and that we were hitting the panic button,” Christman said. “We find that amusing.”
Eventually, Christman said she wants Red State Women to have a nation-wide impact. “We would like to see Red State Women formed in every state,” she said. “Long term, even if you live in a blue state, you can still have a Red State Women organization because ultimately we would like to see every state turn red.”
But for now, the group plans to focus on Texas and combating Davis’ efforts. Christman remains optimistic. “We all understand that the Democrats would like to see Texas turn blue. We don’t think that’s realistic,” she said. “It’s an exciting time for women in Texas.”
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.