This week, Congress’s newly elected “Freshman class” will begin their orientation. Among them will be 16 conservative women who were elected this month, a record-setting election result that shocked many Americans. The mainstream media has gushed over Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Ilhan Omar, and other liberal women. The unspoken message is that the Left is the rightful home for women in politics. This election exposed just how false that narrative is.
Take Nicole Malliotakis, Congresswomen-elect from New York’s 11th Congressional District. Nicole is the daughter of Greek and Cuban immigrants to America. She has been serving in the New York State Assembly since 2010. In her 2020 win, she unseated a Leftist who took the seat in 2018. She is a rising star in the conservative movement who supports border security, opposes sanctuary city policies, votes for lower taxes, and supports law enforcement. Malliotakis believes her Congressional race, “was about a nation on the verge of losing its way and political party that seems intent on leading us on a destructive path towards Socialism.” This is a conservative woman with conservative policies.
Look at Maria Salazar who was elected to represent Florida’s 27th Congressional District. She is the daughter of Cuban immigrants. Her parents fled communism for freedom in America. They knew that a life created in a free society leads to a better future for the entire family. Maria is an excellent example of these ideals and sacrifice. She developed a long and respected career in journalism. In this role, Salazar saw firsthand the devastating impact of socialism, communism, and repressive governments as she spent years reporting on Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. She is a strong proponent of anti-socialist policies to build our economy and protect our freedoms.
Another remarkable woman elected this year is Beth Van Duyne, who will be representing Texas’s 24th Congressional District. Van Duyne left home before age 18, yet with strength of character, she has made the most of the opportunity America offers. She began public service in the city council of Irving, Texas, and she worked to fight the corruption she uncovered, eventually becoming mayor. She is a single, working mother who loves and values America. Van Duyne fights for her children and others, so that all Americans may experience the freedom and opportunities that keep our nation strong.
Even candidates who did not win this election cycle are inspiring examples of women in politics. One such rising star is Kim Klacik of Baltimore. She runs a non-profit to help underserved women in her area become financially independent. Klacik fought to change the blight and corruption that runs rampant in her native Baltimore, a city that has been under control of the Left since the 1960s. She believes in school choice, a strong second amendment, American focused foreign policy, and supporting police while fixing criminal justice issues. Keep an eye on Klacik for the future.
Despite what Rolling Stone puts on its magazine cover, America is full of women who honor our Constitution, promote family values, and live out conservative principles. That’s why the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women publishes a calendar each year showcasing conservative women of leadership and integrity. The 2021 Great American Conservative Women Calendar presents a group of women that includes a professor, a daughter of immigrants, a senator, a governor, a voting activist, an inner-city activist, a member of the president’s cabinet, and more.
The women highlighted in this article and in the 2021 calendar are just a small sample of the millions of conservative women throughout America. These women believe in smaller government, school choice, the American Dream, lower taxes, fighting socialism, and the U.S. Constitution. And these women are cheering for this 2021 class of new conservative women in Congress. We hope all women – and all Americans – celebrate their achievement and root for their success.
Michelle Easton is the president of the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women, an organization she founded in 1993 to put forward conservative women role models to prepare young women for leadership.