GOP sees need for more female candidates

State Auditor Mary Taylor: Politicker PhotoMINNEAPOLIS - Republicans have taken heat for not having enough female office holders, but the Ohio party said its working to recruit female candidates and has a few rising women already in its ranks.

State Auditor Mary Taylor, the only female statewide elected official, said that Gov. Sarah Palin's (R-Alaska) vice presidential nomination helps the party make its case to women they should run for office.

"I think that obviously having a position where potentially serving in the second highest office in the country gives us a role model to point to when we're trying to recruit women candidates," Taylor said.

Taylor said the gender gap is evident in the Ohio House of Representatives, which has 17 women in 99 seats, six of which are Republicans.

Ohio Republican Party chair Bob Bennett said he thinks the party has female officeholders who may run for higher office, such as Republican Supreme Court justices Maureen O'Connor and Evelyn Stratton.

The party's deputy chair, Kevin DeWine said the party's candidate recruitment efforts are always in motion and begin usually with county parties and the Jo Ann Davidson Institute, which helps recruit and train women to run as Republicans. Although DeWine said the party picks candidates on behalf of their beliefs, not their sexes.

"We're looking for the best possible candidate, and we're also looking for the best candidates, be they men or women or from diverse backgrounds," DeWine said.