THE CAMPAIGN FUND

The Campaign Fund for Republican Women, Suite 901, 1700 K St. N. W. Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 293-7118

Can you believe that an organization purporting to be a bipartisan women's group supported Millicent Fenwick's male opponent for the United States Senate in 1982?

That's the problem! Women’s groups claim to help Republicans and Republicans claim to help women. The fact is: Sometimes they do. too often they don’t.

The Campaign Fund for Republican Women will help Republican women seeking election to federal office. Always Republican women: only Republican women.

In 1917 Jeanette Rankin (a Republican) became the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress. When the 98th Congress was sworn in this past January, only two women were serving in the Senate and twenty-one in the House. While Republicans can claim both women Senators, only nine of the women House members come from the GOP.

What do these facts and figures tell us as Republicans? With the emergence of the “gender gap” in the 1982 elections, coupled with the trend of more and more women in the workforce, these facts and figures tell us that we must be more responsive to the needs and concerns of women if we are to achieve the goal of majority Party status. These facts also tell us that we still have a big job ahead of us to encourage, recruit, support and elect more Republican women to the Congress.

The Campaign Fund for Republican Women was organized recently to do just that; provide needed financial support to Republican women candidates through a political action committee. Why do we need yet another political action committee when PACs are springing up at an unprecedented rate? We need it for several important reasons:

REPUBLICAN WOMEN

-First, women have yet to reach equity in all the important areas of political fund-raising. The traditional ties to the business community apparent in most male candidacies are often lacking with a woman candidate. While this bias may well be the unintentional by-product of traditional networks and associations. it is a very real problem. If it continues Republican women candidates will continue to be handicapped and the entire Party will suffer.

-Second, while the party cannot be faulted for it support or financial assistance to women candidates and, in fact. has developed a clear edge in campaign technology at the disposal of women candidates, many of these candidates will be unable to afford themselves of these services due to a simple lack of funds.

-Third, although political action committees have doubled in the past four years, the tendency of PACs to support incumbents has done little to ease the overall fund-raising burden of women seeking elective office. Until more women are incumbents themselves, to depend solely on the current PAC structure to provide significant financial assistance to women candidates is unrealistic.

-Finally, there currently are a number of women’s organizations which exist at least in part to support and elect more women to public office. In reality, however, the majority ‘of Republican women candidates are usually excluded for consideration by these groups because of differing views on specific and controversial issues. In 1982, the National Organization for Women (NOW) operated with a policy that resulted in campaign money being given to almost any Democrat, male or female. over a Republican woman. The Washington-based Women’s Campaign Fund rarely deviates from its criteria of support for the ERA and the pro-choice position on abortion when it determines where to put its dollars. This combination of factors creates a special, hardly beneficial category for Republican women in the highly competitive search for campaign money - even for those Who may agree with these positions, as we saw in 1982.

As a result, The Campaign Fund for Republican Women was formed following the recent elections, to provide this needed financial support as well as focus public attention on Republican women running for the U.S. House and Senate.

It's a PAC that exists to help viable Republican women candidates regardless of ideology or issues. Its goal for 1984 is simple - to raise enough money in the next twelve months to contribute $5,000 (the maximum legal limit) to the general election campaigns of Republican women House and Senate nominees. (In 1982 if such an organization had been in existence, approximately $100,000 would have been distributed). The Campaign Fund will be under the capable direction of well-known Republican Party professional Wilma Goldstein.

Because of current FEC law, The Campaign Fund for Republican Women will not accept contributions from either the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee or the National Republican Senatorial Committee. To raise these all important dollars, it must depend upon the support of both individuals and PACs who believe not only that more women are needed in the Congress, but that the Republican Party should and must take the lead in encouraging their candidates.

Under the federal election laws, The Campaign Fund for Republican Women may accept contributions of up to $5,000 from both a PAC or an individual giver. It is a wise investment not only for the future of our country but the future of our Party as well. Republican women candidates can attract, support and build coalitions that will help all Republicans win in 1984. The Campaign Fund for Republican Women exists to help Republican women develop campaigns capable of winning. Its singular commitment to that goal makes it a unique and long overdue force for Republicans.

It’s a great idea whose time has come!

Paid for by The Campaign Fund for Republican Women