She Should Run Disappointed by All-Male Slate of Announced House Committee Chairs

(Washington, DC)—Today, She Should Run, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to dramatically increasing the number of women in public leadership, expressed profound disappointment with the news that all twelve of the major committees in the U.S. House of Representatives will be chaired by men.

“This is yet another symptom of the dwindling number of women in the Republican party as well as a systemic lack of support for the women within their ranks,” said She Should Run CEO/President Siobhan “Sam” Bennett. “In the new Congress, there will only be 20 Republican women in the GOP-dominated U.S. House Representatives. That not a single one of them will chair a major committee is a slap in the face for the 44% of women across the country who voted for the Republican presidential candidate in this election. This is a terrible message to send to Republican women across the country, particularly young women, who want to know that their party is serious about including women in top leadership positions.”

Following a year in which the political gender gap widened, She Should Run noted the sense of urgency for women within the Republican Party. She Should Run encouraged members of the House Republican Conference to support any women candidates for the two remaining committee chair positions.

“At a time when the Democratic Caucus may have as many as five ranking members on these committees, I bristle at the notion that the Republican women in the U.S. House of Representatives are only qualified to chair the lesser important committees,” said Bennett. “Nonetheless, should any women step forward to chair these two committees, it is imperative that they be supported by their peers. When only one party is supporting and promoting women candidates, the entire spectrum of women’s voices is not being represented.”