OPENSECRETS NEWS
Fundraising lags for Republican women of color
By Sarah Bryner
October 19, 2018
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
As reported by the Center for American Women in Politics, three Republican women of color currently serve in Congress – Mia Love (R-Utah), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). Of those three members, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen is not running for re-election, Rep. Love is in a surprise toss-up race, and while Rep. Herrera Beutler is currently favored, her race is closer than anticipated.
Given that the two incumbents seeking re-election are not in safe seats, CRP explored the other Republican women of color seeking election. Twelve races feature Republican women of color, including the two already mentioned. Of those 12 races, three are rated as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report. Three are rated as “likely” or “lean” Democratic seats, while the rest – with the exception of Herrera Beutler’s seat – are safe Democratic districts.
If all of the districts end up with the currently favored candidate winning, it’s possible that Herrera Beutler could end up being the only Republican woman of color in the 116th Congress, assuming Democrats win all of the toss-up races. And Herrera Beutler’s re-election prospects are not certain. She has been outraised this cycle by Carolyn Long, her Democratic opponent. In fact, every Republican woman of color other than Mia Love has been outraised by their Democratic opponent. However, Young Kim, facing lottery-winner Gil Cisneros in California’s 39th district – a toss-up – has raised more money in donations, since Cisneros has largely self-funded his own campaign.
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/10/2018republican-women-of-color/