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ANNAPOLIS — Little by little, Republican women are losing their voice in the General Assembly, part of a larger trend in which fewer women are serving in the Maryland legislature.

But with next year's election drawing closer, a nearly year-old group of conservative women lawmakers is working to stem that tide by offering support to one another and guidance to first-time candidates.

Ladies in Leadership was conceived last summer by four Republican delegates at the Florida home of Del. Susan L.M. Aumann (R-Dist. 42) of Timonium. Originally, they envisioned it as a social outlet for like-minded legislators who spend three months out of the year together in Annapolis.

"When you get in session and things are so busy, it's hard to be everything to everyone, so we were just trying to figure out how we support each other as a group that's often a minority voice because we're women and Republicans," said Del. Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio (R-Dist. 37B) of Newcomb.

In the past year, the group's mission has evolved to include recruitment and mentoring of candidates, fundraising and providing campaign resources, Haddaway-Riccio said.

Two fundraisers have netted close to $10,000, said Del. Gail H. Bates (R-Dist. 9A) of West Friendship. The group also held a dinner with women lobbyists, who also are severely outnumbered by their male counterparts, during the legislative session to branch out to other minority segments of the Annapolis political scene. (Everyone paid for their own meals, Aumann reported.)

The group's founders, who also include Del. Nancy R. Stocksdale, said it's important that the perspective of conservative women be represented in Annapolis. The challenge is finding women "who have the fire in their belly and the perseverance who are a little intimidated about the whole process of running," Aumann said.

Already, women from across the state have expressed interest in running for office next year, she said.

They don't have to dig too deep for inspiration: The 1994 election was a watershed moment for Republican women in Maryland.

Only five Republican women served in the General Assembly that year. There would be 12 the following year. (11 served in the House of Delegates.) The class included four current legislators: Senate Minority Whip Nancy Jacobs (R-Dist. 34) of Abingdon and Dels. Adelaide C. Eckardt (R-Dist. 37B) of Cambridge, Mary Roe Walkup (R-Dist. 36) of Worton and Stocksdale (R-Dist. 5A) of Westminster.

Eckardt recalled being defeated by three men when she first ran for the House in 1990. "I remember thinking this is going to be an uphill battle, because not many women from rural areas were engaged in politics," she said. "Women were the worker bees behind the scenes getting the guys elected."

Eckardt said she followed the lead of women politicians like then-U.S. Rep. Helen Delich Bentley and then-House Minority Leader Ellen R. Sauerbrey and was successful when she ran again in 1994.

But the number of women legislators has dwindled in recent years.

In 2006, Maryland had the highest percentage of women in any statehouse in the nation (67 of 188), according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Now, there are 59 women in Annapolis, and Maryland has fallen to ninth in the country.

The recent decline of women in Annapolis has impacted both parties.

Prior to the 2006 election, there were 52 female Democrats and 15 female Republicans. Now, those numbers are down to 47 and 11, respectively.

The fall from No. 1 is slightly disconcerting, said Del. Sue Kullen (D-Dist. 27B) of Port Republic, who heads the Women Legislators of Maryland. She encourages women to consider getting involved in politics at any level wherever she speaks.

"From my perspective, it's not that women do politics better, but we do it differently, and 31 percent is a far cry from 50 percent," Kullen said of the current percentage of women who make up the General Assembly.

The reasons for the drop-off are varied.

In 2006, Sens. Ida G. Ruben (D) and Sandra B. Schrader (R) lost to men, while male candidates also won the seats vacated by Democrats Gloria G. Lawlah, Paula C. Hollinger and Sharon M. Grosfeld.

Then, in 2008, Sen. David C. Harrington (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly was selected to fill the vacancy left after the unexpected death of Sen. Gwendolynn T. Britt.

The retirement of Sen. Janet Greenip, who will be replaced by Anne Arundel County Councilman Ed Reilly, leaves Jacobs as the only GOP woman in her chamber, while only 10 of the 48 women in the House are Republican.

That crystallizes the importance of Ladies in Leadership heading into the 2010 cycle, Aumann said.

"The Republican Party is a bit wounded, and I think any effort that can go forth to try to cultivate conservative individuals is something I think the state can utilize to make it a better place to live, work and enjoy," she said.

The group has formed a partnership with the Maryland Federation of Republican Women, which shares a similar philosophy of fostering the conservative agenda through women candidates and officeholders.

The emergence of Ladies in Leadership is an important element that hopefully will reduce the political gender gap and allow more women the opportunity to serve in high-ranking positions, said Patt A. Parker, a Dunkirk resident who is president of the 88-year-old Maryland Federation of Republican Women.

"They bring to the table the hands-on experience of running and also holding office in the state as delegates or senators, and having knowledge of that is very helpful for people who want to consider being candidates," she said. "When you're looking at making a professional decision like this, you want to know someone who's been there to be able to talk to."

Democrats also appear to be putting an emphasis on engaging more women. In February, Gov. Martin O'Malley tapped longtime national activist Susan G. Turnbull as party chair — the first woman chair since Vera Hall was picked to lead the party in 1992 — while House Environmental Matters Chairwoman Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Dist. 43) of Baltimore was selected in April to lead the party's coordinated campaign.

"I think the Democratic leadership in Annapolis will be doing things to support women in the next election, and for Republicans, I certainly applaud any efforts to encourage women to get into politics," Kullen said.