The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) unveiled on Thursday the Right Women, Right Now (RWRN) program to elect new female candidates to state office. And two prominent Florida Republicans, Attorney General Pam Bondi and state Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, will be helping to lead these efforts.
RSLC President Chris Jankowski noted that bringing new women into the political process will help reshape the Republican Party and advance conservative policies. The RWRN efforts are part of the Republicans Future Majority Project to bring more female and Hispanic candidates into the GOP.
The RSLC remains focused on growing the Republican Party from the ground up and enacting sound policies, said Jankowski on Thursday. Time and again, women are proven leaders in their communities and the RSLC is dedicated to recruiting, identifying, supporting and electing strong women leaders to state-level office. I would like to thank our co-chairs and their board for the continued leadership within their states by growing the economy, balancing sound budgets, supporting job creators and fighting against federal overreach.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will be one of four co-chairwomen of RWRN. Bondi, elected to her current position in 2010, will be joined by Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch of Wisconsin, Secretary of State Kim Wyman of Washington and Speaker Beth Harwell of Tennessee.
Bondi and her three new fellow co-chairs issued a statement Thursday on their new efforts. We applaud the Republican State Leadership Committees strong commitment to recruit and support women to state office, said the four co-chairs in a joint statement. Right Women, Right Now has brought together a group of proven women leaders from across the nation who are passionate about increasing the number of Republican women in state-level office. We look forward to working together to implement this long-term, sustainable project of identifying and recruiting qualified women to run for office.
Theres another Florida Republican on the 11-woman advisory board of RWRN -- Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers.
I am honored to be chosen to serve as an advisory board member of Right Women, Right Now, Benacquisto said on Thursday. I am committed to our mission to recruit and support qualified women candidates across the United States.
Benacquisto said she would be able to advance fiscal conservatism in her new role.
We all know qualified women who should run for office and who would be outstanding leaders its up to us to ask and encourage them to run, she said. I look forward to joining leadership of Right Women, Right Now to support women who will work to tackle the challenges within our states, of reducing the size and scope of government, keeping tax dollars in the pockets of families, and creating fiscally conservative and balanced state budgets.
Jankowski praised Benacquisto as an exceptional leader and said the new program will help expand the Republican brand.
The key to advancing the Republican Party is inviting everyone to the table to ensure our party reflects the full diversity of our nation, saidJankowski. We look forward to joining Right Women, Right Now to identify women candidates like Senator Benacquisto who believe in the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, and supporting job creators who can lead the way in our states. The RSLC is fully dedicated to helping these qualified women run for office.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this story exclusively for Sunshine State News.
