GOP Women Against Trump: Women4US

Hey – it’s Stephanie. I’m writing on my own behalf, separate from our voter CRM product. This is a 6-minute read, so if you’ve missed a few weeks of Serve60Sharp, count that time 😀

If you’ve followed me on social media (X) or live in the KC area, you know of my longtime, vocal opposition to Donald Trump as the figurehead of the Republican Party, of which I am still a member. Having helped 2nd the nomination of Bob Dole in Russell, KS in 1996 and staffing the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in 2000, I loved watching conventions. They renewed my faith in Republican principles (linked at bottom), in deep contrast to my personal experiences with the local parties.Subscribed

However, I couldn’t bring myself to watch the 2016 convention – except the acceptance speech. I forced myself to see with my own eyes what was happening to my party. I remember crying. Not sobbing, but constant, sad streams dampening my shirt, such that my husband asked if I was OK. My response to him was prescient: This man will ruin our party and a lot of people will get hurt in the process.

I’m not here to change any minds. Research shows that doesn’t happen with anyone who votes at least 50% of the time anyway (and I’m betting you do). Plus, since most of us are in non-swing states, I don’t give a hoot how you vote for POTUS! (A very liberating feeling, BTW.) Keep reading for more on that.

If you like what you’ve read so far, please share:

The Curse of the Do-er

My longtime subscribers also know my lack of interest in anything that happens in DC. And yet, after nearly ten years of Donald Trump, Matthew West’s “DO SOMETHING” is my earworm: “God, when are you going to do something?” He said, “I did. I CREATED YOU.”

In February. I attended my 2nd Principles First Summit. P1 convenes the leading Republican thinkers (now disaffected) organized around non-partisan basic principles (click the link above for more info). While the organization is excellent at that work, many of us wanted to DO something. As I was commiserating with two women I met there, we made a plan to keep in touch.

Brainstorming turned into Zoom calls (So. Many. Zooms.), turned into naming, branding, URL purchases, paperwork, and FEC filings. We founded Women4US for Republican women to persuade Republican women in swing states to defeat Donald Trump.

And then an historic debate, camp for Anna, an assassination attempt, a couple of 50th birthday parties for Dan (HBD DB!), a new Democratic candidate, a family reunion and visit from THE NEPHEWS, and now a new Veep candidate. It has been decades shoe-horned into weeks (days?).

None of these activities impacted our efforts. We can’t vote in Democrat primaries or influence their delegates. As one of my co-founders says – we aren’t invited to their intervention:) It’s our job to clean up OUR party.

We boiled seven states down to 24 counties. I knew we could be successful if we treated this like a State Rep race – pick off a few thousand votes around the edges with highly targeted tactics and innovative messaging. A surgical strike.

The Launch

We launched fundraising on July 1 and nationally on July 11 with an amazing group of honorary advisors and allies:

With this impressive group and contacts across the country, fundraising has been consistent. To move 100,000 Republican women to defeat Trump across seven swing states, we need $4 million.

We acquired an anchor funder which allowed us to launch our first direct voter contact work in Pennsylvania – with response results FIVE times the industry average. I love when targeting and outside-the-box messaging proves out!!

What YOU can DO:

Donate! Spend smarter, not more. You know me – I squeeze every dime out of every dollar. We are:
1. Using messaging and images which have been tested and proven for our target audiences. Don’t recreate the wheel!
2. Focusing on high-ROI delivery specifically to our target voters, meeting them where we know they are. Data is super cool and also kinda scary…
3. We need 100K to secure our next efforts in Pennsylvania. Can you help?
  1. YES!!
  2. I want to volunteer instead!
Volunteer: Keep reading – this is my favorite part!
VOTE!! Always, in EVERY election.

Swing State Synergy

One of the key reasons we sought to act is because none of us (the three founders) live in a swing state. Yes, your vote ALWAYS counts. It’s ALWAYS important and ALWAYS makes a difference – in down-ballot races – but the Electoral College irons out differences in the states. Most of the country lives in a state where the vast majority of voters vote for the R or D, sending all their Electoral College votes to a particular team.

We get it – we felt helpless sitting in non-swing states, too, so we wanted to give you an outlet for your passion and desire to DO SOMETHING to impact this election. When you sign up to volunteer, you adopt-a-state and join the volunteer team on-the-ground in Pennsylvania, for example. Imagine the power of sending a note, a video, or a text message directly to a swing state woman. We give you a script and you modify however you feel comfortable.

All volunteers will have weekly (or more if you want!) opportunities which vary in time commitment and comfort level.

Thoughts 4 Swing Staters

If you live in a swing state (WI, MI, PA, NC, GA, NV, AZ) or have contacts who do, please feel free to forward this information. As I’ve spoken with voters throughout the country, a few examples seem to resonate:

Consider your business:
1. Imagine if 90% of your customers went on national TV to warn the public about using your services or buying your product.
2. Examples: If you’re a realtor, dentist, therapist, or even a neighbor, what would happen if 90% of your clients or neighbors said never to let you in their home, mouth, office, etc.
3. Would you go into business with Donald Trump? Would you hire him?
Would you want your son or daughter to work for someone like Donald Trump?
Would you want your friend or a family member to be in a relationship with someone like Donald Trump?

If ANY of these raise the slightest concern, should this person be managing 3M employees attempting to serve 330M customers? Not to mention bunkers full of nuclear missiles, delicate foreign relations, or ability to influence the Federal Reserve with a tweet. (This is my 100,000 foot view.)

My Republican Values

Personal responsibility for my actions.
A “conserve-ative” approach (to conserve) to governance, taxation, spending, and debt.
Freedom to live my life (whatever that means to me) so long as it’s not infringing on yours.
A freedom-loving worldview which supports democracies, recognizing their egalitarian structures for government and economics provide the fairest treatment of the individual – and that democracies make better partners.
Respect for the rule of law and those systems and people which enforce it through our courts, military, law enforcement, and other systems.
- Recognition that a society without laws is anarchy. Anarchy does not conserve families, businesses, culture, communities, and most of all, it is merely the perception and more accurately the perversion of freedom.

For the Republican Party to be redeemed, Donald Trump MUST lose. Again. Join us at Women4US!