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In the Obama era, Democrats usually have had two big advantages over Republicans: women and volunteers. This year, Republicans are trying to change that, seeking to amass an army of young female volunteers who can carry the GOP message and counter the war on women rhetoric that has been so effective for Democrats.

Fresh off a week in which Democrats made it clear that a key part of their midterm message will be equal pay, Republicans are set to begin their own efforts to woo women to the polls, focusing on counties that went blue in 2012 and could tip the balance in November.

In West Virginia on Monday, Sharon Day, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, launched 14 in 14, a program that will focus on younger women in suburban areas that lean blue. The idea is to sign up women who will commit 30 minutes per week in the 14 weeks before the election, making phone calls, recruiting other women, identifying voters and getting people to the polls.

Republicans have been dogged by criticism that their party is out of touch with women. In a CNN poll in February, 55percent of respondents said that Republicans didnt understand women, a figure that jumps to 64percent among women older than 50, a group that traditionally has been more Republican.

One strategy is to have more women out front and carrying the GOP message, not only on the Senate and House floor but also block by block in neighborhoods across the country, which is the kind of grass-roots engagement that 14 in 14 will try to build.

Day announced the effort in Charleston, W.Va., with Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who is running for the Senate seat being vacated with the retirement of John D. Rockefeller IV (D).

We know that were not going to win elections if were not reaching out to the 21-to-40-year-old groups of women, and we understand that and were willing to earn that, Day said at the kickoff event. Were willing to start the discussion. We want to be there and invite them to be part of the solution, part of the process.

Democrats are more focused on single women, a group that they won in 2012 by 36 points, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee planning to use a national computer model that can predict voters marital status. In focusing on a minimum- wage increase and equal-pay legislation, Democrats hope to appeal to working-class women and have framed their populist plan as a womens economic agenda.

But Republicans, who typically outpoll Democrats among married women, are on the offensive. Last week, as Democrats held a vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act, Republicans introduced their own amendments and criticized the White House for a pay gap among West Wing staffers. The Democratic proposal fell short of the 60 votes needed to survive a GOP filibuster.

Mondays efforts come as Republicans have continued the effort to be more competitive in additional states, including purple ones such as Colorado, Michigan and New Hampshire. The RNC is targeting 25 mostly blue counties out of 300 in 10 states with congressional and gubernatorial races, in a mix of red, purple and traditionally blue states.

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Republicans try to address war on women with an army of young volunteers

Here in a state where presidential politics are never far from anyone's mind, three Republicans who are considering a run for the White House -- Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor -- pitched their views on Saturday for how conservatives can retake power in Washington.

It was an unusually early event for such an overt discussion of 2016, even by today's accelerated electoral calendar. Not only is the next presidential election still more than two and a half years away, most states have not even held their primary elections for the midterm elections this year.

The event was the Freedom Summit, a gathering of several hundred put together by two of the most influential groups on the right, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation and Citizens United. And what unfolded on stage in a conference center next to the regional airport was a display of today's Republican Party in all its dynamism, division and sometimes strange spectacle.

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Mr. Paul offered up his message of making the Republican Party more ecumenical by reaching out to Americans who feel conservatives do not look out for them. And in doing so, he offered some blunt advice.

''The door's not going to open up to the African-American community, to the Hispanic community, until we have something to offer,'' he said, adding that Republicans should care more that minorities are so overrepresented in the prison population.

''But your kids and grandkids aren't perfect either'' Mr. Paul said. ''The police don't come to your neighborhoods. You get a better lawyer. These are some injustices. We've got to be concerned about people who may not be part of our group, who may not be here today.''

Mr. Cruz gave a more traditional view of conservatism, but with the caustic delivery that has earned him few friends in Washington.

''I think every Republican should have two words tattooed on their hands: growth and opportunity,'' he said, before disparaging the people he works with every day. ''I'm spending my time not focusing on Washington, not trying to convince Washington of anything, because they ain't listening. What I'm trying to do instead is help energize and mobilize the American people.''

Read MoreShouting match in Congress over IRS

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New Hampshire Republicans get a preview of 2016

California Republicans, now shut out of every statewide office, are leading in the races for controller and secretary of state in Junes open primary election, polls show.

Republican Ashley Swearengin, the mayor of Fresno, tops the controllers race with 28 percent of likely voters, according to a Field Poll released April 12. She is trailed by Betty Yee, a Democrat on the state Board of Equalization, at 19 percent, and Assembly Speaker John Perez, one of the states Democratic leaders, at 14 percent.

In the campaign for secretary of state, Republican Pete Peterson, executive director of a public policy institute at Pepperdine University, is backed by 30 percent of likely voters, while state Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat representing the San Fernando Valley, follows at 17 percent, according to a separate Field poll, released April 11.

The most populous U.S. state holds a so-called open primary, in which the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the November general election.

Swearengins first-place lead is derived primarily from her strong backing among fellow Republicans, the San Francisco-based Field Research Corp. said in a statement. By contrast, Yee and Perez are dividing the preferences of Democrats.

Three scandals have rocked the states Democratic Party this year, including the March 26 arrest of Senator Leland Yee, who had been a candidate for secretary of state, on firearms trafficking charges. State Senator Ron Calderon, of Los Angeles, was accused in February of taking kickbacks, while state Senator Rod Wright was convicted of voter fraud in January.

Both polls contacted 504 likely voters by telephone from March 18 to April 5. The controller survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points, while the results for the secretary of state had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alison Vekshin in San Francisco at avekshin@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at smerelman@bloomberg.net Pete Young, Michael Hytha

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California Republicans Lead Polls for Two State Offices

LOS ANGELES Last week CBS announced that Stephen Colbert will take over "The Late Show" when David Letterman retires. But opinion is split as to whether the Comedy Central star can be funny without playing the conservative-mocking character that makes "The Colbert Report" so popular.

For the last nine years, the political satirist has fronted his own cable show playing the character Stephen Colbert, an egomaniacal conservative pundit, but he confirmed Thursday that he will not be embodying his alter-ego in his new gig.

New York PR guru Ronn Torossian thinks CBS has alienated millions of conservative thinkers by picking Colbert.

One also wonders to what degree political undertones will be on the program. Colbert got this job because of his political satire and claims he is now going to abandon it, he told FOX411. Seems that is an admission that what got him here wont get him there.

Fox News host Bill OReilly referred to Colbert as one of the biggest mouthpieces for the progressive movement playing exclusively to other believers.

So what are Colbert's previous bona fides? The multi-Emmy award winner was a correspondent on John Stewart's "The Daily Show," which got him his current gig. Before that Colbert had a role in the short-lived TV series Strangers With Candy, which he also wrote and created. He also worked on the ABC sketch program The Dana Carvey Show which was pulled after eight episodes.

Some industry players think his breadth of TV experience, coupled with his name recognition and experience mounting a daily broadcast, make him a natural to follow Lettermans footsteps.

The conservative pundits are overreacting out of the gate on this one, Colbert dropping his cluelessly conservative character is probably a boon for the Rush Limbaughs of the world, said Hollywood-based pop culture expert Scott Huver. Hell be moving on to a much broader topical and pop cultural canvas. But like most late-night hosts, Colbert will likely be skewering both conservatives and liberals and anyone in the public eye that provides fodder for a good bite.

CBS entertainment executive Nina Tassler said the network is not concerned about his politics.

We were most excited about his talent to be creative and innovative, and now hes going to work on his idea of what his show will look like, she told Entertainment Weekly. When you really have such admiration for somebodys talent, intelligent and satiric ability, you know theres a gifted performer there.

Continued here:

Colbert only for progressives?

THE All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has demanded that the position of the president, the vice president or the national chairman of the party should be zoned to the Niger Delta region.

The state APC explained that it was necessary for the people of Niger Delta to get one of the three major positions in order to encourage it to continue to fight for the victory of the party.

Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Interim State Chairman of the party, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, who spoke in a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, said one of the positions must come to the oil-rich region.

Eze maintained that the APC at the national level would be unfair to the people of the region if it decided not to zone any of the three positions to the Niger Delta.

The sacrifices those of us in Niger Delta have made to make the APC popular in this area; if the party does not consider all these sacrifices and let us assume that President Goodluck Jonathan gets the ticket (of the Peoples Democratic Party), what would we depend on to ask Niger Delta people to vote for APC when there is no responsible or reasonable position given to us (Niger Delta)?

So, if the position of the presidency, vice presidency or the chairman of the party is not ceded to this place, in other words, they are asking us to slow down.

Therefore, any calculation, they (national APC) without putting this factor into consideration, they are not fair to the people from this area, Eze said.

He explained that the attendance of President Jonathans daughters wedding by the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, was not an indication that he (Amaechi) was planning a return to the PDP.

The state APC media officer said Amaechis presence at Jonathans daughters wedding in Abuja showed that the Rivers State governor had a forgiving spirit.

It will be recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Amaechi, who is the leader of the APC in Rivers State, unexpectedly attended former Miss Faith Jonathans wedding, a development that had raised doubt about Amaechis continued membership of the APC.

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Rivers APC wants Presidency zoned to NDelta