Penny Nance is Rallying Women to Defend Their Future

Penny Nance is the CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), which promotes and advocates for Biblical values and Constitutional principles. CWA is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization, with over half a million members.

This interview was edited for clarity.

Ari: Can you tell me how your organization got started and what your biggest goal is this election cycle?

Penny: We're the nation's largest public policy organization for women. When you say that, many people would maybe immediately call to mind the Women's March or, back in the old days, the National Organization for Women. Actually, we started in 1979.

We are right-of-center, conservative, mostly Christian women. We were started by a pastor's wife from California who wanted to be the counterpoint to the women saying that all women wanted the ERA, the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have amended the US Constitution and struck down any bit of differences in law or policy between men and women.

Way back then, it would have immediately struck down any limits on abortion. It would have struck down the ability for women to say women's sports are only for women, for there to be women's safe spaces like locker rooms and restrooms, all the things that we are dealing with today would have been done in one fell swoop.

But fortunately, we won. Cooler heads prevailed, and American women said, “That's not what we want! We want equal pay for equal work. We didn't ask for all of that.” And so our founder, who just recently passed away in her 90s, was able to do incredible work, and an entire organization grew out of that.

We also, once I became the CEO and president in 2010, started Young Women for America, which is our collegiate chapter. Today, we have about 300 leaders and chapters around the country on secular and Christian campuses, about half and half.

These are conservative, pro-life women who are very eager to stand up for the things that they believe in, and we encourage that. We help train them to do that by giving them the statistics, the information, and the constitutional principles to back up what they believe and what they already know to be true.

And so we are just grateful that we have gotten to have an incredible journey in which we have stood for the things that we believed in.

We have worked on behalf of 22 Supreme Court justices and were able to get all but three of those confirmed, including the last three Republican-nominated, which were Justice Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch.

And our women are very vocal. They're active on the local, state, and federal level, as lobbyists from their kitchen tables, as women who have strong beliefs and are able to advocate and pray for our nation.

Ari: What are you hearing on the ground? You guys had a big tour, went to really important states, and talked to a lot of women. How are they feeling about the election? What are the things that they care the most about, and are there more women this time that are going for Trump?

Penny: Well, you're right. We did 10,000 miles on a giant pink bus that said, "She Prays, She Votes." We hit 12 battleground states, and we spoke to literally thousands of women.

We were also able to recruit about 1,000 poll watchers and poll workers, and were able to garner about $15 million in earned media encouraging women of our ilk — conservative women, women who are very busy with their lives, with their families, working in church, regular church attendees— and encouraging them that this is a very important moment for them to exercise their right to vote.

You know, reminding them that women have only had that right for about 100 years, and that this is one of those moments. We call it an Esther moment, and maybe you're familiar with that passage as well: “For such a time as this.”

We believe that our nation will be healed by women, by women being involved, by being the spokesperson on behalf of life, by being those that are guardians of their daughters, of their daughters' future, saying that women's safe spaces should never be compromised, that women's sports are for women, and protecting the least of these. Also, women who are incarcerated, women in domestic violence shelters, and talking about those kitchen table issues.

What I heard around the country, Ari, was not that all women want abortion. That issue cuts both ways. In fact, women are about equally divided on the issue when you talk to them. If you get down into the minutiae and polling data and ask them whether there should be prohibitions, they almost all say there should be some level of prohibition, and the vast majority of women would limit it, at least at the end of the first trimester.

They may not be in line with me, but they're certainly not in line with Kamala Harris, who thinks that abortion should be legal anytime, for any reason, and all paid for by the taxpayer.

What I heard as I traveled around the country on the giant pink bus was that women are really worried about the well-being of their families on a range of issues. Number one, they're worried about the economy.

When you talk to them, they know that things are about 30 percent more expensive than they were during the Trump years. They know they have less money no matter what data you show them, or what chart you show them, they have less money in their checking account at the end of each month and are struggling to pay their bills.

Extra things like their kids being able to participate in club sports or any extra thing like a vacation— much of that is off the table for them right now. And they are worried — forget about being able to buy a home! Young women are very stressed about the ability to save enough money for that down payment.

You can give them $25,000, but that's not going to help them at all. They need to actually be able to earn a living, to be able to keep more of their own money by having less taxation, and be able to take care of their families the way they'd like to.

The other issue was immigration. They talked about that in terms of safety. They understand what's happening in their communities. There are stories in every state. Pennsylvania has had issues, I think Michigan pays about $500 a month for an illegal immigrant for the first year they’re there — they're being incentivized.

We've had situations where an illegal immigrant broke into a trailer park and raped two little girls under the age of 13. They see what's happening in their community.

Shockingly enough, just recently, in this past couple of days, 158 Democrats voted against the deportation of illegal immigrants who are sexual predators. Women don't understand this. There's nothing that you can do to capture that to make them believe that you are in support of them, that you are enabling them to live better, safer lives.

The final issue, and we've talked about this already, is protecting their daughters in their safe spaces.

One final thing is that we know about 300 Americans a day are dropping dead from fentanyl use, not to mention heroin and other drugs. Everyone knows somebody. Many people know several people who have had deaths in their families.

Women are doing their best to protect their children, but allowing illegal drugs to come over and poison their children is not acceptable. Whatever needs to be done to force Mexico to do a better job, to hold China accountable, has to be done.

We understand that we need strong leadership in foreign policy, not someone weak. We need someone who will stand up to Xi, someone who will stand up to Putin, and someone who will stand up to the Ayatollahs who are using their proxies to try to murder innocent people, including seven Americans who are being held hostage underground in Gaza right now. This all has to end. We need stronger, better leadership, and that is what women are thinking about.

Ari: I think all Americans feel those issues right now. And I think the polling shows that with these issues, Trump is winning. My question is, when you were doing this tour, and you reached these thousands of different women who are going to be voting, how many of them did not vote for Trump in the last cycle? How many of them, for the first time, are going to vote Republican?

Penny: Yes, I certainly met new voters. When I left Pennsylvania in 2022, I pretty much knew that Dr. Oz was not going to win. You can get a real sense of what's going on in the ground: the feeling, the excitement, you can really get a sense of it being there that you can't get from watching TV or looking at polling data.

I will tell you that I felt much more passionate about voting for President Trump. I think because it's all about your life, your kitchen table issues, and how these bigger issues impact you. I think people were very clear on the idea, women particularly, that their lives were better four years ago than they are now.

There was no talk about, "I have to vote for Kamala Harris because she's a woman." I'm sorry, women don't really think like that. If that were the case, they would have elected Hillary Clinton as president in 2016. They didn't want her. They didn't support her, they didn't like her, and they didn't trust her. And I think Kamala Harris, Vice President Harris, is actually dealing with a little bit of that as well. Yes, you have women who are already sort of oriented toward voting for her.

Those are non-persuadables. What we're talking about, what it really gets down to, is the independent women. They're not willing to cash in their future just because she's a woman and part of their identity group.

Ari: You said that when Dr. Oz was running, you could feel that he probably wasn't going to win. I just spoke to Dave McCormick recently and got some insights on his campaign and how it's going. When you were in the area, how did you feel about them voting down ballot for Republicans? What are your thoughts on that Senate race in Pennsylvania?

Penny: It's hard to know for sure, but I will tell you that there was much more eagerness to vote for McCormick than for Dr. Oz. I think, and you may not be old enough to remember this, but they equated Dr. Oz with Arlen Specter, who was a very left-wing — really wasn’t a Republican in many ways and certainly wasn’t with them on social issues.

They didn't want another one of those. That's really what it was. They weren't okay with somebody who was a Republican in name only. They weren’t going to give him the seat. They would rather have a Democrat, at least it’s the devil they know. Or they just didn’t vote. There was a lot of that.

People are very eager to vote in this case. They were still thinking, but I think there was a lot of support for Dave McCormick. He is a much stronger candidate. He was a stronger candidate before. And so I’m hopeful for him, and we'll see how it turns out.

Ari: Another question for you. I graduated college a few years ago, and I remember what young women were like in terms of politics — very liberal. As long as abortion was on the ballot, they would just vote for whatever it was, blindly. How are you seeing young women in this election? How do they feel about politics? Are they more open to voting conservative? Is abortion still as animating as Democrats make it out to be?

Penny: Well, that is the one issue in which Vice President Harris has not flip-flopped, right? She has always said, "I want abortion any time, any reason, any number, all paid for by the taxpayer." She is an extremist on abortion. She will not even say that abortion should be limited up until birth. So you know where she is.

I think the mistake that Republicans make is the unwillingness to really talk about that. I think they dignify the issue when they don’t talk about what really happens. Yes, there is a group of people, typically unmarried, younger women, who are animated by that issue, but there is an equal number of women who are animated on the other side who have been part of the pro-life movement.

Listen, we didn’t overturn Roe v. Wade overnight, and we could only do it with immense grassroots support from women. Women are the givers of life, and there is nothing dignified or compassionate about dismembering a baby in the womb and taking it apart and taking its life. That’s really what happens.

When you talk to people in stark terms about what they really want, you find out they’re not at all in line with what the left believes. Yes, it animates a certain group of people. But I would argue that it also works in the other direction as well.

I think what happened is that the other side went too far. They were telling women in California or New York that abortion rights were in danger when nothing had changed. In fact, it became more left-leaning.

Four states allow abortion up until birth. President Trump got that right. Republicans have repeatedly tried to push the Born-Alive Act, which simply says that in a late-term abortion, if a little girl survives her abortion and is born alive, she must be given medical care. The other side says, “No, she has no right. We should leave her alone and let her die.”

That’s what the argument is about. These are the things Republicans should talk about when it comes to abortion.

Ari: A lot of Republicans, after seeing how animating abortion was post-Roe v. Wade, decided to drop the issue. Trump said he’s not going to sign anything nationally. The goal was to return it to the states. In this election, to get women out to vote, do you think that’s the wrong strategy? Should Republicans be talking about abortion, specifically the extreme elements on the Democratic side?

Penny: Yes, I think they should define their opponent. If you don’t talk about it, then they get to define you, and they’re left with the whole field to play on.

The answer is if they bring it up, you can’t cower. You have to stand up and tell the people the truth on the issue. If you do that, generally, they’re more in line with you. That’s what polling data says.

And, you’re right, President Trump isn’t completely in line with me. President Trump says, "I did the work. I appointed Supreme Court justices. Now you get to advocate across the country on a state-by-state basis."

Prior to that, the law was set by the Supreme Court, saying you couldn’t prohibit abortion pre-viability at 24 weeks. Babies are routinely saved at 24 weeks. In-utero surgeries happen at 24 weeks, where babies are given anesthesia. These are fully formed babies with all their major organs, they can hear and respond to their mother's voice, and they can feel pain.

That is not where the Supreme Court was. Now we can have that argument on a state-by-state basis, and we’re ready for it, seeing if we can bring people to our side. I’m done talking about it in vague terms.

If we’re going to talk about abortion, I’m going to talk about what it really is. I’ve heard one too many starlets say something like, "Abortion is love. Abortion is mercy." No, it’s not merciful to dismember a baby in utero. And, by the way, we have the pictures to prove it.

Ari: With early voting, the election in many states has already started. It’s game time. We’ve got a few weeks left. What would your advice be to the women who are energized and ready to get out to vote? What else can they be doing?

Penny: We tell our women — and again, we’ve been recruiting poll watchers and poll workers — if you're excited about the election, come out to one of our events to learn more. I would say to everyone, go to our website at ConcernedWomen.org.

We have side-by-side comparisons of the Republican and Democratic platforms on our seven core issues. Take a look at that, and see who best represents you.

Then take that to your friend group, church, or parents' organization, PTA or PTO. Let others know, and then do the next thing. Call the candidate of your choice and offer to volunteer. Sign up to be a poll watcher or worker. College students can even get paid to be poll workers. Sign up with the local parties, and be part of the solution.

Our thought is that we’ve been given this opportunity. We are blessed to be born in this country. Women here have incredible lives and opportunities that women around the world would give anything to have.

For example, in Afghanistan, women aren’t allowed to go to school. They not only have to cover their heads, but they also must cover their faces and aren’t allowed to speak in public. In many countries, women can’t drive or vote. We need to enjoy our freedom, and with freedom comes responsibility.

I would say to women, especially women of faith, Esther 4 is a story of a young woman plucked from obscurity by the hand of God and made queen of the vast Medo-Persian Empire. As she’s enjoying being queen, as any of us would, she doesn’t notice there’s an existential threat to her people. A sixth-century BC version of Hitler, Haman, is planning to wipe out all the Jews in the kingdom.

Esther’s uncle comes to her and says, "Wake up! There’s an existential threat to your people. You can look the other way, and God will provide and raise up someone else, but you and your family will suffer. In fact, they will die." He says, "Who knows, Esther? Perhaps you were born for such a time as this."

I would say to women, you were born for this time. It’s no surprise to God that you’re here in your family at this time in the United States. You can look away, but you will not be safe in the palace or the pew.

Evil will come looking for your family. Government and politics may seem uninteresting or dirty, but they impact you, your children, and your grandchildren’s future. So get involved today.