Hi Rulers! This morning, news broke that Sen. Dianne Feinstein has died. The California Democrat was the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco. She was also the longest serving woman in the Senate — first elected in 1992. During her time in Congress, she was a strong advocate for gun control — championing the assault weapons ban that became law in 1994 — and was known for working across the aisle. She was an icon for women in politics at a time where they were scarce. “Feinstein was incredible,” veteran campaign strategist Keith Nahigian tells Women Rule. “When she came in, she was like the only woman – there were just a few.” “I think it's important for women today for people to know about the people who’ve made these leaps.” For more, read her obituary in POLITICO. Now, on to some GOP primary news: Nikki Haley has a record of putting her gender at the center of her campaign. In the first GOP presidential debate, she made it clear that she was the only woman in the race. “This is exactly why Margaret Thatcher said, ‘If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.'” “Don’t make women feel like they have to decide on [a federal abortion ban] when you know we don’t have 60 Senate votes.” “I will always say I am going to fight for girls because strong girls become strong women. Strong women become strong leaders,” she said at the August debate. But that narrative was notably absent from her debate performance Wednesday. Judging from new research, her party might prefer it that way. Last week, the Pew Research Center released a study that shows that Democrats and people who lean Democratic are far more likely to say that there are too few women in high political offices compared to Republicans and people who lean Republican: 75 percent to 29 percent, respectively. And Democrats are also more likely to say that it’s important to see a woman elected president in their lifetime: 57 percent to just 14 percent of Republicans. Haley’s switch up indicates that she (maybe) got the memo. “I think if she's scaled back … her comments that are more related to her gender, my guess is that's because their internal polling is saying it's not any good,” says Kelly Dittmar, director of research and scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics. The Pew poll shouldn’t come as a surprise. Republicans historically aren’t fans of “identity politics” — a broad term that generally refers to a candidate using an aspect of their racial/ethnic identity, gender or sexual orientation in their campaign. That’s created a complex situation for some Republican women running for office, says Ariel Hill-Davis, co-founder of Republican Women for Progress. “By viewing ourselves as a party that shies away from identity politics, it also means that we can't acknowledge that we think that people's identities or their backgrounds are an important component to how they would lead or what they bring to the table,” Hill-Davis tells Women Rule. Haley herself has denounced “identity politics.” She’s also said that she doesn’t think there are “glass ceilings” limiting women. She also says that she’s not playing identity politics. She says she’s just talking about her experiences. “It’s not identity politics, it’s just loving who you are,” she said on the podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss. “Identity politics is when you divide people based on what you are. I’m not dividing people based on what I am — I’m trying to show people that we are all more similar than we are different.” So is there a way to center her unique perspective as the sole woman in the race without facing criticism for playing identity politics? Is it even lucrative, when her base isn’t all that worried about seeing a woman in the oval office? Veteran campaign strategist Nahigian ran Michele Bachmann’s 2012 presidential campaign — which largely steered clear of identity politics. Nahigian says that there might be one benefit to Haley using gendered rhetoric: setting herself apart from the other nine male candidates vying for the nomination. But he also says that might backfire when it gets down to two main candidates in the primary. “Eventually, you're probably going to be one on one with Trump,” he tells Women Rule. “And if that's the case, you don't want to be playing the ‘woman card.’ You want to be playing the ‘I'm better than Trump card.’” Strategist Frank Sadler was campaign manager for Carly Fiorina’s 2016 presidential campaign, and says he “understands” why Haley might choose to talk about her gender to set herself apart: “That's obviously a way she could do that that no one else on that stage can do.” And he thinks it might help her get some extra press coverage. But he’s not convinced it will help Haley win votes in the first primary states. “Whether or not at the end of the day, that gets you more votes in Iowa, because of gender – my guess is that's probably not particularly effective.” Dittmar thinks Haley's gendered comments could get her votes — in a general election. But she says “For the most part — she's not getting Trump voters through that message. In fact, she may be putting them off a little bit.”
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