Conservative Women’s Group to Ramp up Ground Game
DES MOINES, IOWA – Carly Fiorina’s Unlocking Potential Project (UP) launched its Iowa leadership team today, which is comprised of former Iowa State legislators Renee Schulte and Annette Sweeney serving as State Co-Chairs, Angie Hughes as the State Director, and Mary Earnhardt as the Political Director.
“This team’s expertise will be great assets as we work to spread the word that conservative values greatly benefit women both here in Iowa and across the country,” UP President Carly Fiorina stated. “Women in the Hawkeye state deserve to be treated as the intelligent, well-rounded decision makers that they are – not fed the liberal lies about a so-called Republican ‘war on women.’ The only ‘war on women’ that’s occurring is the one being perpetuated by liberal policies that increase regulations for women starting small businesses, take more money out of their hard-earned paychecks, and restrict health care access.”
The UP Project will engage women at the grassroots level to help conservatives close the gender and technology gap. It will utilize cutting-edge technology and techniques to target, persuade, and turnout female voters in six key states with competitive Senate races: Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Virginia. For more information visit: www.up-project.org.
“As a former legislator, I have had the privilege of listening to Iowans share their opinions on all issues – from health care, to taxes, to education,” said Ms. Schulte. “All issues are ‘women’s issues’ and I am offended every time another dishonest liberal tries to put us in a box. Unlocking Potential recognizes that women across the state are intelligent and are deeply affected by all decisions made by politicians.”
“Liberals push for government to take more money and create more bureaucracy,” said Ms. Sweeney. “Unnecessary regulations force businesses to spend more money complying and keep them from hiring and giving raises to their current employees. We won’t stand for liberals telling us what we do and don’t care about and allow them to try and divert our attention while they hide behind policies that are failing women.”
“I am tired of being told by the left what issues I should care about simply because of my gender,” said Ms. Hughes. “I am looking forward to working with this team to engage Iowa women voters on all of the decisions. It is important that we share how across the board, implementing conservative ideals of lower taxes, more choices in health care, and more localized decision making will benefit women across the state.”
Renee Schulte, Co-chair of the Unlocking Potential Project is the CEO/Founder of Schulte Consulting, LLC, a mental health therapist, and former Iowa state legislator. Renee worked as a campaign field organizer for Mitt Romney in the 2008 campaign. After winning her election in 2008, she continued as an Iowa State Co-chair for the Romney 2012 campaign. As an Assistant Leader in the Iowa House, Renee assisted in recruiting and training candidates to capture and maintain the majority in the House.
Annette Sweeney, Co-chair of the Unlocking Potential Project continues the farming tradition with her husband and two sons on the same farm in which she was raised in Buckeye, Iowa. She is a former Iowa state legislator and currently plays an active role in community programs in Iowa such as Agri Women (president), Angus Association (past executive director), Charolais Association (past president), and Agriculture Education advisory boards at Ellsworth College and South Hardin High School. Annette was the first Republican woman to be Chair of the House Agriculture Committee and the first woman to be recognized by her colleagues in the Iowa House as a Herbert Hoover Uncommon Public Servant. She has also been the Sportsmen’s Animal Owners Voting Alliance and Crop Life American Legislator of the Year.
Angie Hughes, State Director of the Unlocking Potential Project has spent more than a decade involved in Iowa’s local, state, and federal political landscape. Upon taking a leave of absence to serve as Iowa Director for Unlocking Potential, Angie served as an assistant to Iowa House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer – Iowa’s first female Majority Leader. Before her time in the Majority Leader’s office, Angie served as the Director of Government Affairs at LS2group, a well-known and highly-respected public relations, public affairs, and marketing firm in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mary Earnhardt, Political Director of the Unlocking Potential Project grew up in Davenport, Iowa and has spent over thirteen years working inside the Iowa State Capitol. Mary worked in the Iowa Legislature for eight years, first as an aide to the House Majority Leader. For the seven following legislative sessions, Mary served as the senior Republican staff member for the House Ways and Means Committee. From 2008 to 2011, Mary worked as the Policy Director for Iowans for Tax Relief (ITR) and served as ITR’s lobbyist to the Iowa Legislature and Executive Branch. Mary has worked on political campaigns since 1994, beginning at the volunteer level for local candidates to managing a top-tier Congressional campaign during the 2012 election cycle. Earnhardt joined the Des Moines government affairs firm PolicyWorks in 2012.