Republicans have apparently found their next strategy for reaching out to women and he’s the star of the reality TV show The Bachelor.
Chris Soules, a scruffy farmer from Arlington, was judging the Iowa Farm Bureau’s cookout contest at the Iowa State Fair when Texas Gov. Rick Perry blazed through on Tuesday. Perry, who was in the midst of a four-day swing to support Iowa Republicans up for election this fall while laying the groundwork for a repeat presidential bid, greeted Soules with a handshake as he toured the contest and the pair chatted briefly out of earshot before posing for a photo. [...]
Earlier this month, Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio met the reality television star at the annual party hosted by Iowa GOP bigwig Bruce Rastetter. “Rubio Gains Notice, But ‘Batchelorette‘ Hunk Steals Show,” blared the Des Moines Register in a headline on Sunday. [...]
“Pretty much every female in her twenties is familiar with him,” one Republican operative said. “And probably a bunch in their 30s and 40s who might not admit it so freely. So it wouldn’t hurt a candidate to be seen rubbing elbows with that guy, especially for a party that struggles with a gender gap.”
Of course there are other things the party could try.
They could try supporting universal access to birth control. They could take a pro-choice position and support access to abortion. They could support raising the minimum wage. They could also support universal pre-K and childcare. They could stop talking about rape.
But let’s not get crazy.