Monica Wehby, Alieta Eck and Joni Ernst
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Democrats may stand by their “GOP’s war on women” theme, but if these three Republican women win their elections in November, there will be a “war of women” when they start shaking up Congress.
Dr. Alieta Eck is a medical doctor running to replace Rep. Rush Holt, a Democrat, in New Jersey’s 12th congressional district. While New Jersey is generally considered a blue state, half of its current House delegation is Republican. However, all of them are men; Dr. Eck would end the stag party.
I have known her for several years, and her passion is health care reform. But health care reform done right—giving consumers and patients more control over their health care dollars and coverage.
One of liberals’ repeated accusations is that Republicans don’t care about the poor and uninsured. Well, in 2003 Dr. Eck and her husband, John, also a medical doctor, started the Zarephath Health Center, a free clinic for the poor and uninsured. And the Ecks did it with private money and their own time, not your tax dollars.
Dr. Eck is a principled conservative who doesn’t take kindly to politicians and bureaucrats trying to take over the health care system—which is what Obamacare does. Repealing and replacing the legislation will be an uphill battle, but at least she would know where to start.
Jumping from the East Coast to the Left Coast, Dr. Monica Wehby is running for the U.S. Senate from the blue state of Oregon. A GOP victory there might also seem like an uphill climb, but she is a moderate on many social issues, which may better reflect Oregon voters. Plus, there is a growing trend among pro-federalism Republicans to leave many social issues to be decided by the respective states.
While Dr. Eck practices internal medicine, Dr. Wehby is a pediatric neurosurgeon, and she, too, is running against Obamacare, with this campaign slogan: “Keep Your Doctor. Change Your Senator.”
That message may resonate in Oregon, especially in the wake of the state’s catastrophic launch of its own health insurance exchange. The state spent $200 million on the effort and made such a mess of it that not one—NOT ONE—person was able to sign up for coverage on the Cover Oregon website. In other words, the state’s website was a bigger disaster than the federal one. Even those more comfortable with big government want someone who can make it work.
Real Clear Politics still calls this Senate seat as “likely Democratic,” but don’t be surprised if the race tightens significantly after Labor Day.
The third candidate is Lt. Col. Joni Ernst, an Iowa state senator who’s running to replace retiring liberal Democratic Senator Tom Harkin. Iowa is a purple state these days, and Lt. Col. Ernst is running a toss-up race against a Democratic trial lawyer.
She currently serves on the state Senate’s appropriations committee, and on the campaign trail has been calling for a balanced budget, lower taxes and cutting federal spending (and who would forget her campaign ad about “cutting the pork”?).
Ernst also has been working to restore federalist principles—especially pushing back against the Environmental Protection Agency’s encroachment against the states. It’s always been a mystery to me how a state that sends Republican Chuck Grassley to the Senate also sent Harkin. If those Grassley voters go to the polls, Lt. Col. Ernst will win.
You will notice that I stressed these ladies’ titles: Dr. and Lt. Col. (plus Senator). They are accomplished and knowledgeable in areas where our current president is severely lacking: the health care system, fiscal responsibility and the military. President Obama has mangled all three, and it will take a focused and determined effort to restore them.
However, all three are in for a vicious political hammering from the left, because the last thing liberals can allow is for accomplished, conservative women to get elected and undermine the liberal narrative that there is a GOP war on women.
If they do win their seats there really could be a war, only these three will be leading the charge.