Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Just like many House Republicans, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington—a so-called "
rising star" in the GOP—saw an avenue for advancement in John Boehner's swift exit from the House. She may have forgotten about her gender, but her Republican colleagues did not
according to Politico:
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers found out what generations of Republican women before her have discovered: The glass ceiling on Capitol Hill is real.
The Washington Republican’s bid for House majority leader was over before it even started. After just a few days of phone calls, McMorris Rodgers, 46, formally decided against running for the No. 2 leadership slot, virtually ensuring the top three posts will be held by white men.
Now, isn't that refreshing.
You may recall that of the 21 GOP committee chairs, only one is held by a woman (Rep. Candice Miller of Michigan) and it sucks. It's basically an administrative post that oversees the House cafeteria, among other things. Republicans shouldn't worry though—Miller is retiring at the end of the 114th Congress, giving the GOP the chance to reclaim its clean white male sweep of committee posts. What a relief!
McMorris Rodgers, for her part, will be staying put in her No. 4 leadership post as conference chair—or more like clinging to it—while her male colleagues jockey to advance in a post-Boehner world.