Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., are aiming to be the first woman since 2010 in elected Senate Republican leadership, The Hill reported.
Sentiment appears to be on the rise for more gender diversity in the Senate GOP leadership, which has been all-men since 2010 when Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, resigned as vice chairwoman of the GOP conference, The Hill reported.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said it was "absolutely" time for a woman to be part of the GOP leadership team, the website noted.
"There's have been a lot more Democratic women than Republican women, and that's one of the reasons why they've been slower to get in leadership," Senate historian Betty Koed told The Hill.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is exiting the role of vice chairman of the Senate GOP conference, and Ernst and Fischer are vying for the spot, The Hill reported.
They both represent farm states, but have different styles. Ernst became a celebrity during the 2014 midterm elections with a campaign ad that said she grew up castrating hogs on a farm and would make Washington insiders squeal.
Fischer has a lower profile as an informal counselor to McConnell's leadership team. In 2012, she was the only Republican to win a seat from a Democrat when she defeated Sen. Ben Nelson to join the Senate, the report said.
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