WASHINGTON, DC – House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) on Tuesday hosted women Republican congressional candidates from around the country who are endorsed by her super PAC.
Stefanik hosted six E-PAC-backed candidates at the Rising Stars Receptions and Press Event on Capitol Hill, including two former U.S. congresswomen in Reps. Yvette Herrell (R-NM) and Mayra Flores (R-TX). Herrell is vying for New Mexico’s Second Congressional District while Flores looks to flip the Thirty-Fourth Congressional District in the Lone Star State. Both women were unseated in 2022.
The other four candidates in attendance were:
- New York’s 2022 Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, Alison Esposito – Republican candidate for New York’s 18th Congressional District
- Retired Army Colonel Laurie Buckhout – Republican candidate for North Carolina’s First Congressional District
- Attorney and Air Force veteran Monique DeSapin – Republican candidate for Oregon’s Fourth Congressional District
- Attorney Caroleene Dobson – Republican Candidate for Alabama’s Second Congressional District.
Stefanik also highlighted two E-PAC-endorsed candidates who were not in attendance: North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak, who had a primary on Tuesday, and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R-AK), who was hosting a large local event in The Last Frontier.
“What makes E-PAC different is we don’t just endorse candidates because they’re women; we endorse the best candidates in these races who are women leaders,” Stefanik told reporters. “So they have shown strong fundraising; they have shown a path to victory in the primary and general election.”
The fourth-ranking House Republican added that she meets with many candidates she ultimately chooses not to endorse.
“That’s why we highlight our rising stars and really make sure our investment goes a long way to make sure we have the best quality candidates who are women leaders, and that model has worked,” she emphasized.
Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), accompanied by Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Also in attendance was House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), who lauded Stefanik and emphasized the number of Republican congresswomen has nearly tripled since she launched E-PAC in 2019. There were 13 Republican congresswomen in 2019 during the 116th Congress, compared to 36 in the current 118th Congress.
Emmer emphasized Herrell’s and Flores’s past success and said, “they’re going to be successful again,” before focusing on E-PAC’s other candidates.
“We’ve got the newcomers that I’m going to tell you, we get a chance to pick up seats that people never thought we’d have a chance to pick up because of the quality of people that have been recruited and that Elise is supporting,” he said.
E-PAC has raised $10 million for Republican women candidates since its founding in 2019.
