Cooperman Discusses the Decline of GOP Women in State Legislatures

Associate Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman was interviewed for an article in Governing examining the decline of Republican women in state legislatures after the 2018 midterms. Cooperman said that both Republicans and Democrats have historically struggled on gender representation, but while liberal groups have made an effort to support female Democratic candidates, there are few organizations that are committed to recruiting and supporting GOP women running for office. The article also mentions Cooperman’s research on party donor contributions that she did with Melody Crowder-Meyer, a professor at Davidson College. According to the article, “their research found that 72 percent of Republican donors ‘never heard of’ five conservative women PACs, but only 7 percent of Democrats said the same about liberal women PACs. And while 2 percent of Republican donors said they actively support the group of conservative women PACs, 36 percent of Democratic donors support liberal women PACs.” Read more.