Republicans Struggle to Connect with Women Ahead of 2024 Presidential Race
In Ohio - the problem has nothing to do with Trump's past with women. The ORP has a shortsighted and anti-conservative woman mindset.
As the 2024 presidential race approaches, it's no secret that Republicans have been struggling to resonate with female voters, even those who identify as right-leaning. In an effort to better connect with women, some Republican candidates are looking to see what state parties are doing wrong.
One major issue that has been a point of contention is abortion, or as liberals refer to it, reproductive rights. In Ohio, public education has produced young women voters who feel like second-class citizens due to the messaging that life is not precious, a fetus is not a baby, and the unborn should not have rights. It's become apparent that the Ohio Republican Party is only giving lip service to protecting life, and this is a significant problem.
Video of the Ohio Republican State Central Committee trying to pass a meaningful pro-life resolution. Its quite obvious that ORP chairman Alex Triantafilou , Parliamentarian/Lobbyist Chris Slagle, and Gloria Kirker colluded together to illegitimately water down any meaningful pro-life resolution with teeth.
Ohio women are intelligent and they can tell when they are being dismissed and told to let the "old boy network" handle things. With Republican supermajorities in both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, as well as all statewide office-holders, Republican women are realizing that the Ohio Republican Party is not interested in their issues. Instead, the party seems more interested in becoming more centrist and liberal-leaning than in embracing women's issues that would strengthen families.
Some feel that the Ohio Republican Party is out of touch with intelligent Republican women, especially when it comes to their pro-abortion stance and embrace of transgender ideology. At the state and county level, the party appears to be ignoring women's issues and failing to reform Ohio's schools. As a result, it seems that the party is destined to alienate and ignore women's issues.
THE TOP 10 ISSUES OF WHY THE OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY DOES NOT RESONATE WITH RIGHT-LEANING WOMEN AGE 40-60
Focus groups conducted by Bermeier and Associates between January 22, 2023 and March 24, 2023 in 44 Ohio Counties with over 400 women participating.
Education:
School board races are a key battleground for educational policies, but the Ohio Republican Party's stance on homeschooling compensation is lacking. Ohio legislators do not value mothers educating their own children. (as evidenced in Ohio’s Backpack Bill prohibiting home school reimbursement to mothers as educators.) Additionally, almost all county parties treat school board races as an after thought. Women want to see these races become partisan and the county and state parties be fully invested in their outcomes.
The prevalence of woke ideology in public schools is seen as a threat to educational freedom and academic rigor. The Ohio Republican Party is out to lunch. Ohio’s schools have been weaponized against womankind under the banner of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the Ohio Republican Party is not moving with any sense of urgency to address this.
Lack of a true school voucher system for families limits options for choosing schools or homeschooling that would best fit their children's needs. The Ohio Republican Party caters to lobbyists on the topic of education instead of doing what is right.
Healthcare:
The Ohio Republican Party's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is heavily criticized by women - for not providing enough options and penalizing those families that did not share the State’s view of the crisis. Those afraid of COVID should have had their children stay home and participate in remote learning. Those that were unafraid of COVID should have been able to send their children to school as normal. Emergency health orders dramatically undermined the support of women for the Ohio Republican Party.
Women's health issues, such as the high costs of pregnancy, childcare, and treatment for mental and physical disorders, are not fully addressed by Republican policies in Ohio.
The rising violence and domestic abuse against women caused by stay-at-home orders and the lack of support for crisis shelters are pressing issues that need attention - this violence does not seem to be ameliorating since the public health orders have been lifted. Again, Ohio Republican legislators are out to lunch and have not taken responsibility.
Social norms:
The sexualization of children in K-12 schools and public libraries, as well as the easy access to free pornography, are seen as harmful to traditional values and family relationships. Ohio Republicans seem to be helping to encourage this sexualization through weak stances on Comprehensive Sex Education, Social Emotional Learning, and Positive Behavior Interventions and Support. These programs have converted schools into woke ideology re-education camps. Ohio’s Republican governor is championing these programs. Additionally, there is no movement to penalize Internet Service providers and pornography websites that provide pornography to minors - thereby stealing their innocence.
Human trafficking and prostitution laws are considered too lenient. The Ohio Republican Party is heavily criticized for not taking a stronger stance on these issues by imposing larger penalties for Johns. Ohio’s Conservative women feel Prostitution should be a felony for Johns.
Public safety:
The rise of gang violence and drug use is a major concern for communities and women, but the Ohio Republican Party's focus on letting national border security address the problem seems inadequate. The Ohio Republican Party should be doing more - as the Ohio Republican party has not outlawed sanctuary cities - nor taken a tougher stance to apprehend and penalize dealers and sources of illegal drugs.
Corporate pollution and environmental degradation pose risks to public health, especially for children, but Ohio Republicans seem to be silent on this issue - East Palestine, Ohio seemed to confirm the Ohio Republican Party’s stance on pollution by big corporations.