Mace, Dingell say Republicans and Democrats not adequately reaching women voters

Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) expressed concerns on Wednesday that their respective political parties are not doing enough to connect with women voters ahead of the midterms. 

Mace said Republicans at times can come off as “unfeeling.”

“It’s also about how we communicate when we’re talking to people,” said Mace. “I think sometimes Republicans come off as unfeeling and very spreadsheets, black and white, and numbers. But when I’m talking to women, I want to share personal stories from other women that I’ve spoken to or my own personal stories when I’m talking about jobs.” 

Mace also said she uses her experience to relate to personal hardships.

“I often talk about my own personal experiences when I was raped when I was 16, so women understand that I’m coming from a very similar perspective. I care just like they do,” Mace said. “That has a lot of meaning when you’re talking to women out there and women who are going to vote.” 

A recent poll by AARP found that women 50 and older are one of the more energized voting blocs, with 94 percent saying they plan to vote in November but a little over half said they were undecided about who to cast a ballot in favor of. The lawmakers made their remarks at the 50+ Women Voters and the Midterms event hosted by The Hill.

Dingell, meanwhile, said Democrats would be making a mistake if they focused on a single issue, noting that the economy and abortion are top concerns she hears from women. 

“There are two issues that are on women’s minds, but we make a mistake as Democrats if we try to become a single-issue party,” said Dingell.  

Dingell echoed similar concerns expressed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in an op-ed published by The Guardian last week where he disagreed with the advice Democratic candidates were getting to focus solely on abortion.  

Dingell also noted that Democrats need to bridge generational gaps between older and younger women voters. 

“Women of a certain age like us, we need to talk about what our real-world experiences were like. When I’m out talking at rallies or talking to people there are generational differences,” said Dingell. “They can’t believe anybody can have this much control over their own personal decisions. Well, we fought for those; we believe it because we know, we lived it.”