As a resident of South Carolina, the state with the fewest women elected to public office in the nation, my first reaction upon hearing this question was… why is this even a question?
Why are there not more woman offering themselves for the highest position in our country? Voters are certainly capable of discerning differences between candidates, whether the current
comparison is two socially conservative, attractive, accomplished women such as Congresswoman Bachmann and Governor Palin, or two socially conservative, attractive, accomplished men such as Congressman Ryan and Senator Santorum.
Those qualities do not encompass the total person anymore than any three adjectives could paint a full and accurate picture of any person. To assume that voters aren’t smart enough or responsible enough to understand that is an exercise in recklessness.
The Republican Party is large enough for both of these women to seek the same office. They have nuances that will be vetted by the American public if they allow the process to work, which simply means they must announce their candidacy sooner rather than later. History has shown us that there is a clear, strategic advantage to the candidate(s) with formidable brand identity. For lesser known candidates, an elementary mechanism to “level the playing field” is to campaign fiercely in the early primary states. Absent significant, positive brand identity, regardless of gender or race, our ability to reclaim the White House is marginalized.
The bottom line is the GOP I know encourages competition. These two women’s similarities and contrast points would become evident as they shared the same stage with all presidential primary candidates. And while the pundits and polls examine the hypotheticals, the voters will certainly make choices based on very real differences amongst the entire slate of candidates.
