Sheila Kuehl
When Kuehl was elected as a Democrat to the California Assembly in 1994 a Republican majority was seated for the first time in 20 years. This was due largely as an out-flowing of the enthusiasm stoked up by Newt Gingrich's strategy supporting Republicans for the Federal Legislature. Kuehl recalled "The Republican majority was quite a different kind of Republican, not a moderate, not a Rockefeller Republican. They were primarily Bible-thumpers and very right-wing. So it was not the most welcoming Republican group, though they loved Zelda Gilroy, and it was very difficult for them because they already liked me so much…. And to their surprise, we all got along very well. ...The Republicans were pretty horrible about LGBT stuff. They all virtually said stuff like, 'Well, they're all spawn of the devil, oh, but not you, Sheila….'"
Princella Smith
At the age of twenty, she spoke in prime time at the 2004 Republican National Convention held in New York City to re-nominate the Bush-Cheney ticket. She beat a thousand other entrants in an MTV essay contest for the privilege of speaking at the convention. Her status as a young black Republican woman drew national attention. Smith had earlier worked as an intern for the late Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, who as lieutenant governor of her state inspired her to become a Republican activist. She had early experience as a public speaker as governor of Girls State while in high school.