Republicans shouldn't retreat from their focus on social issues, despite losses among female voters in 2012, says former First Lady Laura Bush.
President Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney 55 to 44 percent among female voters last November, according to exit polls.
But asked in a
CNN interview whether the GOP placed too much emphasis on social concerns, Bush responded, “No, I wouldn’t say that, necessarily.”
Every candidate is different, she noted. “There are obvious examples of candidates that I think frightened some women, but they were the exception rather than the norm in the party.”
Bush was apparently referring to Senate candidates Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana. Both lost their elections after making controversial comments about rape and abortion.
But social concerns are important to many Republicans, Bush noted. “All of those social issues are very heartfelt by people. And I understand that. There are differences, there just will be, and I’m glad that in our party we have room for all of them. I think that’s important, too.”
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