Republican Women Candidates Prioritize Unity Over Speaker Controversy

Republican women members of the U.S. House of Representatives have chosen to stay on the sidelines during the ongoing fight over who should lead the Republican caucus, citing a desire to avoid the political toll of the brutal battle. Since the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the caucus has been through multiple unsuccessful rounds of voting, with no women members putting themselves forward as speaker. With women making up only 15% of the House Republican party, compared to 43% of House Democrats, some Republican women have expressed that they are too smart to get involved in the recent political shenanigans, while others see it as a missed opportunity but are unwilling to subject themselves to the ongoing chaos.