WASHINGTON -- Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) said Republican men running for the highest office in the land will “fail” if they call Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton “stupid.”
Speaking at a women's empowerment event hosted by Google and National Review on Tuesday, Wagner advised the Republican men running for president in 2016 to steer clear of criticizing Clinton too much.
“Women and men believe that Hillary Rodham Clinton is strong and she is intelligent. She may have issues that stand out like ‘liar and untrustworthy,’ but I will tell you, we will fail, and these men will fail, if they try and package her as someone who is stupid and doesn’t know her job, hasn’t done her job and isn’t real, isn’t strong,” said Wagner, the first Republican woman to chair the House Finance Committee.
Wagner, who advises the Republican National Committee, said the party needs women at the table to “remind” them of the words to use and not use.
“They need us,” Wagner said of women in both parties.
Wagner added that the presidential race, and control over the House and Senate, is “going to come down to independents, specifically independent women.”
Right now on the Republican side, 14 male candidates have announced their bid for the presidency in 2016, as has one woman -- former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
On the Democratic side, Clinton is the lone woman as well, but against a much smaller primary field of four male candidates.
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