Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), who is running for a seventh term in Congress, knows that swing-state Republicans are going to have work mightily to win over women disgusted by the direction in which the GOP is headed in the age of Trump.
To that end, Bilirakis has announced he’s hosting his first-ever Women’s Summit on June 9, billed as “an opportunity for women in our community to come together and learn about relevant topics that have a direct impact on their lives.”
Some of the topics listed on the online event invitation are indeed relevant, including healthcare, substance abuse, running for elected office and work-life balance. There’s also a session on “Women and Faith" that will no doubt appeal to many of Bilirakis' Bible Belt constituents. Other topics raised eyebrows and ire, including sessions dedicated to gardening tips and weight loss, the latter hosted by a “weight management, physique transformation and lifestyle coaching” expert.
Bilirakis told the Tampa Bay Times he got the ideas for summit sessions from his constituents.
"I try very hard to allow ideas and agendas to be driven by the people I serve," he said. "I've always said the best ideas come from the people."
Critics pounced on the chance to blast Bilirakis’ record on women’s issues, including his votes against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act , his opposition to the Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood and his anti-abortion stance. The reproductive rights advocacy group NARAL Pro-Choice gave Bilirakis a zero percent score in 2017
Chris Hunter, the leading Democrat running against Bilirakis, slammed the summit as a “shameless election year stunt.”
"He uses his Congressional power to vote against women and then hosts a summit that patronizes women," Hunter tweeted on Thursday.