Meet The Women Of The Ron Paul Revolution

Grace Wyler

At first glance, the Ron Paul campaign — and his eponymous Revolution — looks like a serious boys club. 

Exit polls indicate that Paul's supporters are predominantly male, and unlike his 2012 rivals, the Texas Congressman doesn't seem too concerned about changing that. Paul rarely, if ever, panders to the fairer sex, and his most visible advisors and acolytes are mostly men. 

But behind the scenes, a growing number of women — and millennial women in particular — are taking arms in the Ron Paul Revolution, as grassroots organizers, party activists, anti-Establishment political operatives, and elected representatives. 

"It's not uncommon…to joke about how an upcoming event will be awesome because there will be at least one girl for every 30 guys," said Bonnie Kristian, a Ron Paul supporter who serves as director of communications at Young Americans for Liberty. "In practice, however, the ratio is much better than that, and over the five years or so that I've been involved, I've seen a very steady increase in the proportion of women in the movement." 

Kristian is part of a cadre of young women who have quickly risen through the ranks of Paul-inspired organizations, a cottage political industry that is working to remake the Republican Party in Paul's image.

These women are far more comfortable talking about Austrian economics and defense appropriations than about gender politics. And when Paul leaves Republican politics this year, they are ready to take over the mantle of his movement.