GOP men tutored in running against women [View all]
"Tutored". Really.
While GOP party leaders have talked repeatedly of trying to rebrand the party after the 2012 election losses, the latest effort shows theyre not entirely confident the job is done.
So theyre getting out in front of the next campaign season, heading off gaffes before theyre ever uttered and risk repeating the 2012 season, when a handful of comments let Democrats paint the entire Republican Party as anti-woman.
Akin dropped the phrase legitimate rape during the 2012 Missouri Senate race, costing himself a good shot at winning his own race and touching off Democratic charges of a GOP War on Women that dogged Republicans in campaigns across the country.
In the 2014 cycle, there will be at least 10 races where House GOP male incumbents face Democratic women challengers. More races could crop up as the cycle unfolds.
Some of the highest profile fights will take place in states like New York, Illinois, Florida and Virginia the last where GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli was defeated recently due in part to being perceived as anti-woman.
Individual Republicans have continued to give Democrats plenty of ammunition about being insensitive to womens issues. From Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) talking about rape and pregnancy at a Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this year, to House Republicans passing a 20-week abortion ban in June, to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) blaming military sexual assault on hormones, there have been repeated instances where GOP lawmakers have come off as tone-deaf to female voters.
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