Meghan Markle Called GOP Senators to Push for Paid Family Leave

Meghan Markle has been personally calling senators on both sides of the aisle to push for paid family leave. Politico reports that the two most recent lawmakers she pitched were Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, and Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine. “I’m in my car. I’m driving. It says caller ID blocked,” said Sen. Capito. “I thought it was Sen. Manchin. His calls come in blocked. And she goes, ‘Sen. Capito?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.” The unexpected call left Capito scratching her head. “I couldn’t figure out how she got my number,” said the senator.

Sen. Collins “was happy to talk with her,” according to a Politico reporter. “But I’m more interested in what the people of Main are telling me about it. Much to my surprise, she called me on my private line, and she introduced herself as the Duchess of Sussex, which is kind of ironic,” added the senator from Maine. According to Politico, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) shared the two senators’ phone numbers with the duchess. “She wants to be part of a working group to work on paid leave long term, and she’s going to be,” said Sen. Gillibrand. “Whether this comes to fruition now or later, she’ll be part of a group of women that hopefully will work on paid leave together.”