Women of the GOP In the News: Governors Race Edition

As election time draws closer, several Republican women are making headlines, all across the country. Here is a look at some who are running for governor and have been in the news this week:

- In January, we wondered if New Mexico would see a female governor. Tuesday, that prediction became a reality when prosecutor and Dona Ana County district attorney Susana Martinez won the Republican nomination for governor. Martinez, whose entry into the race was called a "game-changer" by the media, will face Democrat Diane Denish. There are a lot of "firsts" in this race. Either woman has the chance at becoming the first female governor in the state, while Martinez is also the first Hispanic woman of either party to be nominated for governor of any of the fifty states. Also, this is only the third time in United States history that two women will go head-to-head in a gubernatorial general election.

- Former Georgia Secretary of State and current gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel might have been pretty shocked when pro-life group Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) failed to endorse her this week, considering she has definitely established herself as a pro-life candidate. Handel, who has spoken publicly about her inability to have children of her own, disagrees with the group's desire to prohibit invitro fertilization and fertility treatments. She has also stated that, like many pro-lifer's, she believes abortion should be allowed in the case of rape or incest. Unfortunately, GRTL president Dan Becker chose to twist Handel's words, by saying, "...she does not believe that an embryonic human is a child,” something Handel immediately denied. Becker also used very insensitive language to describe women who are incapable of conceiving, which probably didn't help his case with several female voters in the Peach State.

- South Carolina's sweetheart, Nikki Haley, also found herself fighting false allegations this week, when blogger Will Folks decided to announce he'd had an affair with the gubernatorial candidate. Haley, with her husband by her side, immediately said the allegations were "totally false." Another Women of the GOP fave, Sarah Palin, stood up for Haley by saying, "for traditional media to rely on an accusation via some blog entry is almost laughable, but I know the seriousness of it because that's exactly what my family and colleagues have had to put up with, every single day, for the past couple of years." Former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney also voices his support for Haley, who is hoping to replace South Carolina governor Mark Sanford.

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Women of the GOP in the News

So many Republican and Conservative women were in the news last week, it was hard to pick just one to write about! Here is a run-down of Women of the GOP who made headlines:

- RedState.com held its first gathering in Atlanta on Saturday, featuring many prominent Conservative and Republican speakers. Liz Cheney was the star of the show with her "America needs a Commander in Chief, not a Global Community Organizer" line. Georgia Secretary of State and candidate for Governor of Georgia Karen Handel and Nikki Haley, candidate for Governor of South Carolina were also in attendance.

- Conservative blogger, pundit, and author Michelle Malkin has been making the talk show rounds, promoting her new book Culture of Corruption. But it was yesterday's appearance on "The View" that has everyone talking. Malkin put the mostly liberal hosts in their place as she spoke out against Obama and his many czars. You can watch her appearance in its entirety here:

- Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin may have resigned last week, but she hasn't completely left the spotlight. Governor Palin appeared at the NRA's XVIII Gun Collectors Seminar in Anchorage Alaska on Saturday, giving a speech and being presented with a number of awards for supporting the Second Amendment. You can read more about the event here: NRA's XVIII Gun Collectors Seminar in Anchorage Alaska

Karen Handel takes on Voters' Rights

In what Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel calls a "shockingly political move," the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently discarded Georgia's voter verification program which was put in place to help prevent non-Georgia citizens from voting. According to Secretary Handel, the DOJ's new orders essentially violate federal law and contradict previous demands placed in 2007, before the new administration took office. In an exclusive statement Handel explained to us,

"The irony of this DOJ situation is that, right after I was elected I received a letter -- a demand letter if you will -- from the DOJ asking why we did not have the verification program, required by federal law, in place. The reason was pretty simple, the previous administration did not do it. We did, immediately and communicated the details to DOJ. For more than a year, the DOJ knew this verification program was in place, and no one raised a question or an objection. It was only after groups like MALDEF and the ACLU starting complaining that the DOJ become interested. When those groups sued Georgia, two federal courts ordered us to continue the verification programs -- with lawyers from the DOJ sitting in the court room.

Now seven months later, DOJ has essentially voided the court orders and are now directing us to stop the verification process -- the same process they directed us to implement in 2007. DOJ's directive prohibits the citizenship verification and even prohibits the basic verification to ensure that that individuals registering are at the very least who they say they are. The fraud potential created by the DOJ decision is vast. There are dozens of cases across the country involving improper and illegal voter registration activities by ACORN and other groups. This decision creates a gaping opportunity for additional fraud and opens the door for "universal voter registration” with no checks whatsoever.

It's also important to note that the verification process is required under the Federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA). HAVA specifically requires states to verify information from new voter registration applicants with the Department of Driver Services databases and with the Social Security Administration databases. DOJ's decision essentially directs us to ignore Federal law. Because of this, we have sought clarification from the DOJ. To date, we have not received a response."

Though Secretary Handel is currently working harder than any other elected official in the country to protect the rights of citizens to "fair and honest elections," the issue reaches far beyond the state of Georgia. This move by the DOJ under the Obama administration is setting the tone for the 2010 and 2012 elections and will, according to Handel, have serious implications all over the country,

Should DOJ confirm its intention to prohibit the verification process in its entirety, all states will be affected. This is a direct assault on the integrity of elections and is yet another example of the Federal government overreaching into the state's authority. Further, I am very concerned that we are seeing the beginning of politicizing the elections process as we approach 2010 and head into 2012, which will be the first election after redistricting and reapportionment.

So, if we consider the controversies surrounding the census and the anticipated fights that will occur around redistricting, one can see that this issue here in Georgia may well have an impact nationally.

So what can you do to help Handel in her effort to protect the voting rights of all American citizens? The Secretary asked us to pass along this message,

"[You] can help with a mouse click or two. I started an online petition with the goal of getting 10,000 signatures of people who want their voices heard in opposition to this terrible decision. That petition now has more than 20,000 names on it. It can be found at www.karenhandel.com and I urge your readers to sign it, ask their friends to sign it, post it on their Facebook pages and tweet messages in support of it on Twitter. We can make a difference and that is the first step."

Karen Handel was elected Secretary of State in Georgia on November 7, 2006 and been a champion for the people, their rights, their tax dollars and an advocate for responsible government ever since. She is currently running for Governor of Georgia and more information can be found at her website.

We'd like to thank Secretary Handel for taking the time to answer our questions and wish her luck with leading the fight for voters' rights.

Women of the GOP "In the News" Weekly Round-up

Lot of great Conservative and Republican Women in the news this week! Here is your weekly round-up:

- Fox News' Primetime Shows have been filled with Conservative and Republican women, this week. Last night, Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain sat down with Greta Van Susteren to discuss everything from her work in Camboida and Congo to her Twitter habits. Tonight, Women of the GOP favorite Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, will be on "On the Record" to discuss the CIA vs. Nancy Pelosi and more on the CIA memo controversy. Meanwhile, "The View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck visited "Hannity" to discuss everything from President Obama to her new cookbook. Sean Hannity also interviewed Miss California Carrie Prejean about her big news-making week!

- Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has spoke out this week, calling on Congress to block ACORN's access to federal housing funds due to charges of voter registration fraud. Yesterday, Bachmann spoke outside the Capitol,

"ACORN, as you know, is no stranger to the spotlight. Yet no matter how many times prosecutors investigate and even indict ACORN and their employees, they emerge unblemished as far as the federal government is concerned from having access to federal tax dollars."

- Governor Sarah Palin has, once again, made news this week. Not only did she defend Miss California Carrie Prejean against "malicious attacks" but rumor has it, Palin has signed a book deal to publish her memoir sometime next spring. Palin tells the Associated Press,

"There’s been so much written about and spoken about in the mainstream media and in the anonymous blogosphere world, that this will be a wonderful, refreshing chance for me to get to tell my story, that a lot of people have asked about, unfiltered.”

- Finally, Georgia Secretary of State and Conservative Republican candidate for Governor, Karen Handel has a new message and a new website: Karen Handel for Governor - Bring it on! Handel gave a big speech today at the Georgia Republican Convention in Savannah, GA. In it, she presented a message of change, her personal story, and beating the odds in both life and politics!

Women of the GOP "In the News" Round-Up

Lots of great Conservative and Republican women in the news this week, here is your weekly round-up!

- Condoleezza Rice's name has been in the headlines this week. What exactly has she been up to? Is she running for office? Returning to academia? Not exactly. Looks like she is writing about the Masters over at The Daily Beast. Not exactly what the world expected! (Stick around - tomorrow, "Women of the GOP" will have a profile on Secretary Rice, including everything else Rice is up to these days!)

- Did you attend your local Tax Day Tea Party on Wednesday? Thousands of Americans gathered in large cities and small towns to protest the government's misuse of our tax dollars! GOP Women from all walks of life were out in full force! Actress, Janine Turner, attended the San Antonio Tea Party. Georgia Secretary of State and candidate for Governor Karen Handel told a crowd at the Peachtree City Tea Party the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress are "in the midst of a full-on assault on the freedoms that this country was founded upon."

- Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has been making a name for herself and getting under the skin of many liberals, lately. Bachmann isn't hesitant to criticize current Democrats in office or their policies and this week, she has been making headlines for daring to speak out and warn against Americorp.

- Alaska Governor Sarah Palin told a "Right to Life" crowd in Indiana, this week, that she briefly considered having an abortion when she found out her youngest son, Trig, would be born with Down syndrome. She followed that idea by saying, "The moment he was born, I knew that moment my prayers had been answered." Despite the way the mainstream media has handled the story, those who attended the event say the speech made them love and respect the Governor even more. You can watch part of Palin's speech here:

Karen Handel for Governor of Georgia

"Karen's strength of character, her traditional conservative values and her determination to do what is right are what is needed in political office today." - Former Vice President Dan Quayle

On Friday, March 27, Karen Handel announced her decision to run for Governor of the state of Georgia in 2010. A message posted on her Twitter account read, "After prayerful consideration and with the support of my husband Steve, I have decided to run for Governor." Handel, a conservative, has been serving as the state's first Republican Secretary of State since she was elected in 2006.

As Secretary of State, Handel has been a champion for the citizens of Georgia and a strong advocate of responsible government. She fought against voter fraud by defending the state's Photo ID law and has launched the "Transparency in Government Initiative" which allows citizens to view the Secretary of State's financial information online, along with the Office Ethics Policy. Handel has even cut her agency's budget and saves money by eliminating wasteful spending. She told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she goes "line by line" through the budget each month. Recently, she launched a website providing resources and information for voters with disabilities.

Even before becoming Secretary of State, Handel had already achieved quite an impressive resume. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Marilyn Quayle (wife of former Vice President, Dan Quayle) where she helped support efforts to raise breast cancer awareness and secure funding for women's health research. She also served as Deputy Chief of Staff and as a senior policy advisor for current Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Handel served as President and CEO of the North Fulton County Chamber of Commerce and was also elected as Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. During her time as Chairman, Handel managed to balance the County's budget, fight against tax increases, uncover corruption, and pass a strong ethics policy. Politics hasn't been Handel's only career. She has worked as executive in the business world for several major companies.

Handel's accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. Georgia Trend Magazine named her one of the "100 Most Influential Political Leaders in Georgia." She was also chosen as one of "Atlanta's Most Influential Leaders" by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and was Atlanta Woman magazine's "Woman of the Year" in 2007. Former head of the Georgia GOP, Rusty Paul, has praised her as "relentless and extremely hardworking."

I think it's safe to say that if elected, Karen Handel will continue her hard work and dedication to the citizens of Georgia. You can learn more about her at her website: Karen Handel for Governor of Georgia.