The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) announced on Thursday their "Right Leaders Network." It involves a wide array of some of the most influential women and minority public figures in the Republican Party.
The advisory council will be led by the likes of Republicans such as Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Marco Rubio (FL), and Tim Scott (SC). Female Reps., like Ashley Hinson (IL) and Young Kim (CA), along with Gov. Kim Reynolds (IA), as well as former Ambassador and Governor Nikki Haley (SC) will likewise have a role.
According to a press release from the RSLC, with original emphasis:
The Republican State Leadership Committee announced today the launch of the Right Leaders Network, a redoubling of its long-standing efforts to do its part to grow the Republican Party with more women and minority candidates and elected officials. Through the RSLC’s Right Women Right Now and Future Majority Project initiatives, the committee over the past decade has recruited, trained, supported, and elected thousands of diverse state Republicans across the country, many of whom went on to serve in statewide and federal offices...
The RSLC's advisory council will be focused on:
- Prioritizing electing more women, as well as candidates from communities of color and diverse backgrounds.
- Engaging former state leaders, who now hold high federal or state office, to serve as mentors for the next generation of Republican leaders.
- Growing partnerships with aligned Republican organizations who share the same mission.
Also mentioned is that "21 of 50 current Republican U.S. Senators served in state office, 104 Republican U.S. House members served in state offices, and 10 out of 27 Republican governors previously served as lieutenant governors."
There will also be state legislators who act as chairs.
The future of the Republican Party is bright.
— Republican State Leadership Committee (@RSLC) October 7, 2021
Announcing the chairs of @RSLC's new initiative, Right Leaders Network:
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????@JeanetteNunezFL
????@NirajAntani
????@KellyFajardoNM
????@valokimoto
????@markrobinsonNC
????@FrankLaRose
????@KentforWVhttps://t.co/egEiVcp9I9
The Right Women Right Now and the Majority Project, with the latter formerly being known as the Future Majority Project, will also be bolstered.
"The Republican State Leadership Committee has long served as the tip of the spear for the continued efforts to grow the Republican Party at the state level,” RSLC President Dee Duncan said. "While our programs have been extraordinarily successful, we know that much work––and many challenges––remain ahead of us. We are incredibly proud of the collection of trailblazers who have agreed to participate in the Right Leaders Network and I know they will be critical in our continued mission to elect candidates all across the country that better represent the communities they serve."
News of the new program received coverage from AP's Meg Kinnard:
All members of the council — which also includes U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and freshman U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson and Young Kim — served in their respective state Legislatures before assuming higher office.
...
Several in the group have already been put forth as the next generation of leaders for the GOP. Rubio — endorsed by both Haley and Scott in his 2016 presidential campaign — has recently met with Republicans in Iowa, although he demurred on any future presidential bid, saying he’s focused on his 2022 Senate race.
Both Haley and Scott have been making the rounds through the early-voting states and high-profile GOP gatherings, including Haley’s speech this week at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Last year, both South Carolinians had prime speaking slots at the Republican National Convention, marking their places as possible GOP leaders in a future presidential cycle.
...
In a statement to AP, Scott — who has said his 2022 reelection campaign would be his last for the Senate and has deflected questions about a presidential pursuit — said the Republican Party “stands for opportunity for Americans of all backgrounds, and we are strongest when our candidates and leaders look like America.”
The RSLC's Democratic counterpart mocked the effort to involve more minorities in politics, though it's not surprising that Democrats would be unnerved when it comes to minorities getting involved in a different political party:
Gabrielle Chew, spokeswoman for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, expressed skepticism at the effort, arguing that 40% of Democratic state legislators are people of color, compared to 2% on the Republican side.
“This effort is laughable coming from a group who supports Republican lawmakers that have passed voter suppression laws targeting communities of color, employed radical racial gerrymandering to win majorities, and banned abortions after 6 weeks,” Chew wrote to the AP in an email. “To say they have work to do is an understatement, but the real issue is their racist and anti-women policies.”
The Republican Party is also continuing its efforts to recruit more minorities for national office. As Townhall has covered, a record high amount of women have announced that they are running to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
And, as Spencer reported, the RNC has been putting a personal spin on its politics by telling more stories from its leaders and elected office-holders as they communities their priorities ahead of the midterms. In August, the Republican National Committee (RNC) re-opened their first Black American Community Center in Cleveland through a partnership with the Ohio Republican Party (ORP), as Townhall also reported.
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