Capitalizing on electoral victories among female Republicans since 2010, a era that former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed called "the year of the conservative woman," a new group is forming to spend millions on female candidates in 2012.
Called "ShePAC," an acronym for "Support, Honor and Elect," the group is forming two political action committees to pour money into congressional and gubernatorial elections in support of Republican women. Organizers filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission Tuesday to create a traditional PAC that donates to individual campaigns and a super PAC that can spend an unlimited amount on political ads so long as they do not coordinate with the campaigns.
The group's official mission has several components: They are planning to make official endorsements of conservative women running for public office, engage in direct mail, advertising and social media campaigns to elect conservative women in 2012 and organize a get-out-the-vote effort among women for the presidential election in November. The group hopes to raise $25 million this year.
The group will be co-chaired by Teri Christoph, a tea party organizer and founder of Smart Girl Politics, and attorney Suzanne Haik Terrell, a former Republican city councilwoman in New Orleans and founder of Project GOPink. Tim Crawford, who runs the financial side of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's PAC, will serve as treasurer.
