Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellEx-lawmaker urges Americans to publicly confront officials Manchin wrestles with progressive backlash in West Virginia Democrats slide in battle for Senate MORE (R-Ky.) shrugged off the idea that Republicans are waging a war on women, calling it a "manufactured issue."
"Talk about a manufactured issue," McConnell said in an interview with local Louisville, Ky., radio station WHAS on Monday.
He said his female Republican colleagues in the Senate would agree with him on that.
"There is no issue. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison [(Texas)] and Kelly Ayotte
Kelly Ann AyotteElection Countdown: O'Rourke brings in massive M haul | Deal on judges lets senators return to the trail | Hurricane puts Florida candidates in the spotlight | Adelson spending big to save GOP in midterms GOP mulls having outside counsel question Kavanaugh, Ford Pallbearers, speakers announced for McCain's DC memorial service and Capitol ceremony MORE from New Hampshire and Susan Collins
Susan Margaret CollinsManchin wrestles with progressive backlash in West Virginia Conservatives bankrolled and dominated Kavanaugh confirmation media campaign The Hill's Morning Report — Presented by the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs — Health care a top policy message in fall campaigns MORE and Olympia Snowe from Maine, I think, would be the first to say — and Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann MurkowskiPoll: Palin unpopular in Alaska following jab at Murkowski Conservatives bankrolled and dominated Kavanaugh confirmation media campaign Ex-Florida lawmaker leaves Republican Party MORE from Alaska — ‘We don’t see any evidence of this.' "Democrats have increasingly lobbed the "war on women" charge since Republicans strongly resisted an Obama administration rule requiring certain religious organizations to provide contraceptive coverage to employees. Democrats took Republicans' opposition to the rule and spun it as the latest example of a long list of efforts to disenfranchise American women.
GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) both voiced opposition to Republican efforts to overturn the Obama administration's rule.
On Sunday, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said the charge was something of an exaggeration.
"We’ve got to quit exaggerating our political differences," Cleaver said on CNN's "State of the Union."
