What do Republican women want?

Is there a Republican war on women? Let’s ask Republican women. After listening to countless reports detailing what the mainstream media thinks women want in this critical presidential election year, the National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) decided it was time to invest in our own survey.

Conducted July 1 through August 6, our survey drew a response from 8,500 Republican women from all 50 states and several U.S. territories. It was non-scientific, but when 99.4 percent of respondents tell us that they intend to vote this November--we believe them! No question about it: Republican women are fired up and ready to vote--against Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress.

So what do Republican women want to vote for?  What are they in favor of?

Overwhelmingly, respondents indicate that the economy, unemployment, federal spending and personal finances are our biggest problems. Not surprisingly, amidst these hard times, nearly 40 percent said that they are struggling or somewhat struggling to make ends meet. And, respondents cited unemployment as the biggest problem facing women, both nationally and in their communities.

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Nearly one-third said that their principal concern is too much government spending. When asked what will impact our children the most in the future, nearly 40 percent cited debt due to government spending. An overwhelming 97 percent believe America should have a balanced budget.

Nearly one-third of respondents are business owners, and some 96 percent think the federal government imposes too many regulations on businesses. And, not only imposes too many regulations, but imposes them through backdoor rule making. Similarly, more than 96 percent believe the federal government imposes too many regulations on the private lives of Americans.

Perhaps the most surprising finding of our survey is the heavy emphasis Republican women place on protecting constitutional rights and defending the rule of law.

Our survey covered a range of topics on domestic and foreign policy, societal concerns, perceptions about women, elections, politics, personal beliefs and demographics. But, economic and fiscal issues noticeably dominated.

This affirms what we’ve been saying all along: that Barack Obama’s economic and fiscal policies have failed our nation. Women have been disproportionately affected by these failed policies. More than 90 percent of the jobs lost under the current administration have been women’s jobs. The poverty rate among women is at the highest level in 17 years, with single mothers and senior women facing particularly distressing economic hardships.

Women cannot endure another four years of skyrocketing unemployment and diminished earnings. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have the expertise and the solutions to turn our economy around and put Americans back to work. The NFRW will be working between now and Election Day to educate voters that the Romney-Ryan ticket is good for the women of America.

As I meet here in Tampa with the 650 or so NFRW members who are serving as delegates and alternates to the convention, I know that we will be sharing an unparalleled commitment to achieve a big top-to-bottom Republican victory.

We know what matters and we know what the real “war on women” is all about. So we are ready to stand up and fight back.