Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel on Thursday ripped a recent New York Times opinion piece that declared GOP women are “on the brink of extinction.”
“I think this is fake news,” McDaniel told “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt.
“They keep pushing this narrative,” McDaniel said. “They ignore women that are leading way in the Republican Party.”
She cited White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and CIA Director Gina Haspel.
The Tuesday opinion piece, headlined “Republican Women Are in Crisis,” was written by Dr. Nancy L. Cohen, described by the Times as an “author and historian.”
Cohen argued that if President Trump wins reelection, “given his unpopularity with female voters, the future for Republican women in politics looks very bleak.”
Of the 126 women serving in Congress, only 21 are Republican — eight in the Senate and 13 in the House.
McDaniel pushed back on Thursday by referencing recruitment numbers for the 2020 House elections recently highlighted by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.).
“Elise Stefanik had a great response to this,” McDaniel said. “The House has recruited 181 women to run for Congress heading into 2020. It’s a record.”
Stefanik represents New York’s 21st Congressional District. She won the seat in 2014 at age 30. At the time, she was the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.