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Boogeywomen — GOP vilifies big-name female Dems | TheHill

posted onAugust 19, 2018
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Article snippet: Republicans have made attacks on high-profile Democratic women a key part of their strategy for holding onto congressional majorities. The GOP aims to cast rank-and-file Democrats as puppets of House Minority Leader MORE (Mass.) and other Democratic boogeymen, calculating that suburban and rural voters won’t want to replace their Republican lawmakers with Democrats beholden to the party’s power brokers. But while those tactics fire up MORE’s conservative base, it risks turning off the suburban and college-educated women seen as crucial voting blocs in the fall — especially since so many of the GOP targets happen to be women. “Republicans need to be careful and smart about the language they use when they’re critical of female opponents,” Doug Heye, a GOP strategist, said in a telephone interview with The Hill. Trump has repeatedly ripped “low IQ” Rep. MORE (D-N.Y.). And Republicans across the country have run ads highlighting the dangers of putting Pelosi and Waters in power. If Democrats win the House majority this fall, Pelosi could become the Speaker again, while Waters would lead the Financial Services Committee. To be sure, some Republican ads have also gone after male progressive figures, such as Sen. MORE (D-N.Y.). But the starring roles of prominent Democratic women in the GOP attacks is notable, and could lead to both rewards and risks. “Trump and the GOP are really playing with fire,” said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist. “This is going to jeopardi... Link to the full article to read more

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