From NBCNews.com
By Sarah Fitzpatrick, Kristen Welker and Kenzi Abou-Sabe
A record number of women hold seats in Congress, but they are mostly Democrats. Now, new contenders are hoping to shift the imbalance in D.C. and beyond
There's nothing unusual about Patti Russo spending huge chunks of time on the phone. She's the executive director of a prestigious training program for women planning to run for elected office.
But this year, Russo has been fielding an influx of calls the likes of which she hasn't seen in her more than two decades helping to run the Women's Campaign School at Yale University.
The callers? A wave of Republican women.
"In the history of our school, we've never seen this before," Russo told NBC News.
The school has received triple the number of applications from Republicans as last year, according to Russo, fueled by a surge in applicants yearning to take a more active role in the direction of the country and their party.
"They're tired of being quiet, and they know they have a lot to give," Russo said.
The spike in applications is among a growing number of indicators that more GOP women than ever before are contemplating a run for office for the first time.
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