In the Headlines
January 29, 2019

K Street Women Seek Closer Ties to Female Lawmakers

Roll Call

Senior Policy Advisor Miranda Franco and Partner Kathryn Lehman were featured by Roll Call for spearheading the 131 & Counting organization that brings together the 131 women lawmakers on Capital Hill to build connections and encourage more women to run for office.

"The aim is to support the growth of women running for office," said Ms. Franco, a senior policy adviser with the firm Holland & Knight, who came up with the idea. "We want to help support these women and serve as a forum for women officials."

The 131 & Counting organization will kick off on Feb. 6, 2019, with a "meet and greet" reception at the Oracle Townhouse on Capital Hill.

"We’ve invited all 131 members and also some women who just recently retired," said Ms. Franco. "We want to take a moment to reflect and to think thoughtfully about ways we can continue to improve that number and have people connect with women who have spent decades in D.C. devoting their careers to public service."

There are a record number of Democratic women that won a seat in the last year, but Republican women actually lost seats and are down to 13 in the chamber. The 131 & Counting organization wants to give the Republican women a boost and create a community where they can develop relationships and encourage more Republican women to run for office. 

"I just feel like they need to be supportive of each other and develop relationships with people who are going to encourage women office holders," said Kathryn Lehman, a former House Republican leadership aide, who is now a lobbyist with Holland & Knight. "There’s a lot of wisdom and advice of people who have been around a long time. We want to help the women, new and old."

READ: K Street Women Seek Closer Ties to Female Lawmakers

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