GOP rep ‘disappointed’ by the number of Republican women in Congress

The only freshman Republican woman elected to the House in 2018 said she is “disappointed” by the small number of GOP women serving in the 116th Congress.

“Yes, I am the only one. We’ve got a terrific group of guys — and Carol,” Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) said with a smile on Thursday during The Hill’s “History Makers: Women and the 116th Congress” event. Only 13 of the 102 women serving in Congress are Republican.

“I was disappointed because there were some really sharp women running this time and they just didn’t make it. There was an incredible amount of money poured into races against [Republican] women,” Miller said.

That challenge of fundraising was echoed by Miller’s Democratic colleagues.{mosads}

“When you run for Congress, one of the tests is … can you raise the money?” said Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), who was elected in 2018 as one of the first Texas Latinas in Congress.

“There’s a reason why we don’t have even more diversity, because the system is set up in a way so that only certain types of folks can run,” she continued.

Escobar argued that only people who are “retired” or “independently wealthy” have the flexibility to leave their profession and run for office.

The Hill’s Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack sat down with Miller and Escobar, as well as Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Debra Haaland (D-N.M.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Del. Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico) of the 116th Congress for discussions on increasing the number of women in Congress, sponsored by Wells Fargo.

Haaland, one of the first Native American women to be elected to Congress, used her campaign as an example to encourage more women — particularly women of color — to run for office.

“I want people to know that it’s possible to run for office and win if you don’t have anything,” she said. “You don’t have to be rich [or] connected politically. You can work hard and you can win your election.”

–Updated at 1:15 p.m.