The Republican Women’s Policy Committee is trying something new in 2014. It will recruit men.
The group is made up of all 19 Republican women in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., is the chairwoman. Its goals, according to its newly released annual report, include: appeal to female voters, create a positive view of the Republican Party and make women in the party more influential.
As part of its expanded outreach, the committee in 2014 plans to recruit Republican congressmen as associate members. They’ll get to join in meetings, “although in a secondary role to our members,” the report said. The men also will get the Republican Women’s Policy Committee’s news clip dispatches, email blasts and other updates.
Male associate members will be expected to pay the RWPC’s dues out of their office budgets, to cover the group’s staff and other expenses.
The Republican Women’s Policy Committee existed in theory in the past, but in 2013 it acquired a website, a Twitter account (@LadiesGOP) and a Facebook page. The report said that it plans to collaborate in 2014 with the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative policy research group in Washington.