Jul 27, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Rep. Martha Roby won't seek re-election, as GOP faces dwindling number of women in the House

Rep. Martha Roby at a 2016 news conference. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) announced her impending retirement on Friday, potentially leaving Republicans with as few as 11 women in the House after 2020.

Where it stands: Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) announced her departure from the House in June, and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is mulling a Senate run, per the Post. The current number of female GOP representatives is the lowest it's been since 1993, according to the Brookings Institution.

  • The 8 female GOP senators currently in office are a record-high for Republicans.
  • Democrats are also at all-time highs in Congress, with 17 female senators and 89 representatives.
“Chairman [Tom] Emmer is committed to making the House Republican caucus more diverse. ... We’ve already met with over 200 women considering running for Congress and will continue doing so. We look forward to having many more women as part of our new Republican Majority after the 2020 elections.”
— National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Chris Pack, in a statement to the Post

Go deeper: Republicans struggle to elect and retain female members of Congress

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Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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Why it matters: If the fate of the Senate did hinge on Georgia, it might be January before we know the outcome. Meanwhile, voters' understanding of this power in the final days of the election could juice turnout enough to impact presidential results.

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Climate change goes mainstream in presidential debate

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty

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The big picture: This is the first time in U.S. presidential history that climate change was a featured issue at a debate. It signals how the problem has become part of the fabric of our society. More extreme weather, like the wildfires ravaging Colorado, is pushing the topic to the front-burner.

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