TY - JOUR TI - Gendering the GOP: rhetoric, representation, and Republican congresswomen as Party messengers DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-ssp6-qd95 PY - 2019 AB - This dissertation examines the evolution of Republican women’s congressional representation from the 103rd/104th Congresses (1993-1996) to the 113th/114th Congresses (2013-2016). The overarching question that drives my research is: In what ways do party polarization and competition in Congress affect the way Republican congresswomen represent women? Through elite interviews and content analyses of floor speeches, I show that Republican congresswomen work increasingly as party messengers, advocating for Republican policies and principles while speaking as and on behalf of women. At the same time, in-depth case studies of women’s caucuses and female House Conference leaders show that Republican congresswomen advocate on behalf of their own institutional interests not simply as women or as Republicans, but as Republican women. By revealing how Republican congresswomen navigate interpersonal, institutional, and political dynamics in an era of heightened party polarization and competition, this dissertation helps to explain the descriptive and substantive underrepresentation of Republican women in Congress. KW - Political Science KW - Women legislators -- United States KW - Women -- Political activity -- United States LA - English ER -