WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the next congressional debate over the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) approaching, Independent Women’s Voice CEO Heather R. Higgins says the 2026 elections will help determine how Congress approaches the law’s next reauthorization—and is urging candidates to put women’s safety squarely in the conversation.
Higgins joined Carrie Lukas, president of Independent Women, and Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan for a wide-ranging discussion surrounding last week’s Republican National Committee Midterm Convention in Dallas.
The conversation went straight at some of the most consequential—and contentious—issues involving women voters: VAWA, abortion, economic opportunity, the future of work, and the growing appeal of democratic socialism.
“Republicans ought to be making that a campaign issue this cycle, because who’s in Congress and who’s in the Senate, and what they commit to do in this election, is going to make a difference to how that fight plays out in 2027,” Higgins said of VAWA.
The Violence Against Women Act was most recently reauthorized in 2022, with numerous programs authorized through fiscal year 2027.
Higgins argued that the next VAWA reauthorization should revisit sex-based protections and address female genital mutilation, forced and child marriage, and honor-related violence—an argument she also laid out in a recent RealClearPolitics op-ed, “Republicans Should Make Clear Who Stands for Women.”
“The reauthorization is coming up; let’s do this right,” Higgins said during the panel. “Let’s define it, because right now it’s based on gender identity.”
The panel also tackled the rise of democratic socialism and its appeal among younger Americans. Lukas pointed to economic anxiety, artificial intelligence, and concerns about the future of work as factors shaping young women’s outlook.
“There’s a lot of real angst out there about the potential for what AI will do to future jobs, but I think it’s really important for young women to be reminded of the unbelievable opportunities that we have in terms of flexible work,” Lukas said.
The discussion also highlighted Independent Women’s Voice’s “Take Me Back!” campaign, which critiques DSA-backed communist policies through a “Back to the Future”-inspired ad.
“So much of what we’re seeing now with the success of various DSA candidates is the appeal of what is represented as socialism, with selling all the benefits without showing any of the downsides,” Higgins said.
WATCH: “Take Me Back!” HERE
The larger discussion centered on a question that will run throughout the 2026 election cycle: What actually persuades women?
For Independent Women, the answer presented during the panel was straightforward: give women substantive information, make the stakes understandable, and recognize that they are capable of reaching their own conclusions.
WATCH: Full “Messaging and Elections: What Women Actually Want” discussion HERE
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