Women and Politics

In the past two decades, I’ve often found myself asking, “Where are all the pro-choice Republican women?”

But today, despite her second place finish in the GOP primary for Congress in KS-04, I’m inspired by Jean Kurtis Schodorf’s dedication to public service and record of defending women’s reproductive health choices. And as always, I want to thank Schodorf for running for higher office, and encourage her to run again - because we only lose when women don’t run.

In her near decade of service as a State Senator and 12 years as a school board member, Schodorf has proven her commitment to both traditional Republican values and women’s rights.

While pushing for fiscal responsibility and responsible governance, she simultaneously defended women in the Kansas Legislature by opposing legislation to limit women’s access to comprehensive sexual healthcare. This past July, Schodorf received the Planned Parenthood Republicans for Choice Barry Goldwater Award for her efforts in supporting and protecting women’s health.

Unfortunately, Schodorf has become a rarity in today’s political climate. Since the GOP’s platform turned extremely anti-choice in 1992, the number of Republican women candidates who support the entire spectrum of reproductive health choices (publicly) has dwindled drastically.

Before this, organizations like WCF were able to endorse Republicans and Democrats alike–and neither was more difficult to come by.

But as we know by today’s divisive environment, defense of choice has become an almost absolutely unacceptable quality in a Republican candidate–as we saw last year with Dede Scozzafava in NY-23.

Schodorf should serve as a role model for all women public servants–but especially for those Republicans courageous enough to challenge the party’s anti-choice tenets and stand up for women’s rights.

Schodorf is also an inspiration for mothers serving in public office. A mother of three, Schodorf served on the Wichita School Board for 12 years and is now serving her third term in the Kansas State Senate–supporting women’s reproductive health choices all the while. Now that’s my kind of Mama Grizzly.

Women’s health should not be a divisive issue in party politics. We need more candidates like Schodorf who are willing to make a difference by fighting for what is right, no matter what adversity they may face because of it. I commend Schodorf on being such a strong, persistent, and inspiring leader, and look forward to supporting her throughout the entirety of her public life.

I’ll also continue to encourage more women–from both parties–to follow her example.

Crossposted from the Huffington Post.

I’m thrilled to say that in tonight’s Democratic runoff election, with 74 percent of precincts reporting, Terri Sewell secured over 56% of the vote, earning her the Democratic nomination. Since Alabama’s 7th District is heavily Democratic, she is also likely win the general election in November.

Since the moment I met her, Terri Sewell has done nothing but inspire and impress me. That’s why WCF and the National Organization for Women (NOW) were the very first to support her candidacy to be the first elected Congresswoman from Alabama.

In fact, she was the first candidate I spoke to after I became WCF’s President/CEO last April. I was proud to give her the WCF Difference: The unique and focused attention we give our candidates from day one.

WCF and NOW were the first national organizations to support Sewell because she has the experience and skills to fight for Alabamians—and women—in Washington. At WCF, we think of her as the true heart and soul of Alabama.

Sewell’s victory in November will be historic in more than one way–she will be the first woman–and the first woman of color—to be elected to Congress from Alabama.

Despite the significance of Sewell’s campaign, the mainstream media has not paid nearly as much attention to this talented and capable woman as they have to the men running for office in the state.

Luckily, Sewell was not discouraged by the lack of support that women candidates often face. In fact, witnessing the state of women’s rights in Congress was part of her motivation to run:

“I know that when women are at the table, issues of families and children really get decided and discussed,” Sewell said. “Just watching the health care debate, and the fact that the Stupak amendment got defeated is a very good example of how having effective women legislators in Congress makes a difference.”

Sewell’s experience and background also make her the perfect fit for this position. Born and raised in Selma, Alabama, Sewell attended some of the most prestigious universities in the world—and opted to return to Alabama to work for the interests of her state. In her career as an attorney, Sewell stood up for women time and again—she was instrumental in creating the first Domestic Violence Court in Birmingham.

Terri Sewell’s victory tonight shows that Alabama has made the right choice—for its constituents, and for women.

While WCF has supported Sewell from the beginning, it’s important to note that her opponent, Sheila Smoot, is also a capable woman candidate, and we’re proud that these two fantastic women made it to the runoff, and we wish all the best for Smoot in the future. Hopefully, she will choose to run again.

I look forward to supporting Terri through her victory in November as well as throughout the rest of her political career. I know she will do fantastic things for Alabama and America.

Ever since Sarah Palin declared herself a feminist and anti-choice conservative women began winning primaries across the country, there has been a debate raging about whether these women can be considered feminists.

I’ve made my position clear. Here at WCF, we love that more women are winning races. It helps create an environment where it’s normal for powerful women to hold leadership positions on both sides of the aisle.
I’m also glad to see that these women candidates are spurring a national debate over feminism. Allan Bradley at the Harvard Political Review commented on my Huffington Post piece after being on the Laura Ingraham Show, when I called Palin’s term of “Conservative Feminism” an oxymoron. Bradley writes:

“What Bennett should have written was, ‘We congratulate the women who have won these high-profile primaries in races across the country.  We hope that their obvious and sincere commitment to women’s freedom and equality will force them to re-evaluate their pro-life views.’”

I completely agree. In fact, that’s why after the many victories in the June 8 primaries, I wrote:

“Though some of these women don’t share WCF’s views on reproductive health choices, I am encouraged. This sudden deluge of victories has forced the country to stand up and take notice of women’s political power… That said, I want to ask these candidates one question: If elected, what will you do to advance women’s rights?”

While I understand that Bradley was not trying to defend conservative women’s definition of feminism, his uninformed criticism of women’s groups that are willing to fight for equality in all aspects of life, shows a clear bias. WCF is certainly not alone in stating that feminism is about more than just women succeeding in politics or business. That may be the end goal, but those of us who have been working in this field for years know that reproductive health choices are crucial to protecting opportunities for women to thrive.

Indeed, Bradley acknowledges at the beginning of his article that the outlook for the “Year of the Woman” is not nearly as positive as the news media would have us believe. There have already been a number of losses for women in the primary, and the vast majority of candidates in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program are men.

Although there have been a few high-profile races in which women candidates have been victorious, the fact is that it is still incredibly difficult for women across this country. And I don’t just mean for women candidates—all women are affected by the laws passed that limit women’s freedoms. The more anti-choice, anti-woman candidates we elect—regardless of their gender, or whether they call themselves feminists—hurts American women.

Women’s groups around the country are being attacked for trying “take possession” of feminism. Actually, it was these organizations, like WCF (which has been around since 1974), that helped create and build on the concept of feminism, and are still working hard today to make that dream a reality. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem has even come out against the new conservative pseudo feminism:

“You can be a feminist who doesn’t agree with abortion, would never have an abortion, but you can’t be a feminist who says that other women can’t, and criminalizes abortion.”

Regardless of what the anti-choice movement would like to believe, feminism and reproductive rights go hand in hand. I’m excited about the women who won elections in the past month, and I hope that they keep winning. But I also hope that they will choose to use their new positions to work to help—and not limit—other women’s access to opportunities and success.

I just received the best news I’ve heard in a while: WCF-Endorsed Candidate Secretary Elaine Marshall has won the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate in North Carolina.

WCF is proud to be one of the very first national organizations to stand behind Marshall - a proven leader for women and progressive values in her state.

We were in Marshall’s corner from the beginning - even before Washington insiders recruited a less experienced man to run against her.

We sent former WCF Fellow, Mary Schilling, to join the Marshall team on the ground full-time, and we are proud to know that Marshall has triumphed in her primary race - despite the lack of support from the political establishment.

Time and again, talented women are overlooked by their Parties, despite the fact that women’s representation in Congress is abysmally low.

Looking to November, I call upon all the power players who should have been behind Marshall from the beginning to join us in supporting her. We need Elaine Marshall in Congress.

Elaine Marshall’s victory tonight proves that North Carolina is ready to embrace a strong, intelligent woman who has a historic record of leadership for North Carolina and women.

The results of the primary race leave no room for doubt: Elaine Marshall is the right choice. She was the first women ever elected to statewide office in North Carolina and she has since been re-elected four times. Marshall helped to regain $340 million for North Carolina from Wall Street banks.

Marshall has always been a strong advocate for women and minorities’ rights. She speaks about how her own experiences with discrimination affected her decision to enter public life:

“When I grew up and became the owner of a small business, I discovered that if I wanted a line of credit, my husband had to go to the bank and apply for the loan - because I was a woman. So as a lawyer, I stood up for people without a voice.”

I’m confident that as a U.S. Senator, Marshall will continue to fight for all those who have been left behind. But she can’t do it alone. Marshall will face a tough race against the incumbent, and she is one of our best hopes for electing more progressive women who support reproductive health choices to the U.S. Senate.

WCF has fought for Elaine Marshall from the beginning, and we will be with her throughout this race. With only 17 women in the U.S. Senate, we cannot waste a single moment: I hope the Political Establishment will now join WCF in standing strong with Marshall and many other women like her in November.

Let me say this one more time: Sarah Palin is not a feminist. In fact, the fabricated term “conservative feminist” is an oxymoron.

As I said this morning on the Laura Ingraham Show, Sarah Palin calling herself a conservative feminist is like BP calling themselves a corporate environmentalist. You don’t get to just pick up that word and use it the way you want it.

I think we can all agree that feminism is about equality. Where we disagree is whether or not “equality” extends to all aspects of a woman’s life—including reproductive health choices.

To me and the many other women’s rights activists who have spoken out on this subject, claiming to support equality for women—without trusting them to make the most important and personal life decisions—is both absurd and insulting.

Feminism is intrinsically linked to a woman’s ability to make the same decisions as a man. Women need to have control over their own important life decisions. It’s that simple. If you take that power, that basic right of autonomy, away, you take away a woman’s economic viability, personal freedom, and any ability to make her life her own.

True feminism means giving women choices. Anything else is silly putty feminism—stretching the word far beyond all meaning and recognition.

What’s ironic is how women like Palin and Fiorina are reaping the benefits of the pro-choice feminist movement. And that’s fine…when women have equal representation in public office, we will of course have women on both ends of the political spectrum.

But I find it immensely sad that these women aim to revoke the very rights which afforded them their chance to become successful political figures.

Of course, I can’t change that. However, these women don’t get to turn around and completely redefine the word feminist. They don’t get to steal, mangle, and distort its meaning. Not on my watch, and not on the watch of the many organizations that truly defend women’s rights.

Even putting feminism aside, 81% of Americans believe that individuals, not politicians or the government, should have control over their own important life decisions, according to their own circumstances and values.

Government isn’t about forcing your own personal beliefs on the masses—and neither is feminism.

June is a crucial month for women on the campaign trail. In tomorrow’s primary, WCF endorsed candidates Krystal Ball, Roxanne Conlin, Karen Bass, and Beth Krom will fight for more women in Congress, as will many others at the state and local level.

On June 22, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall will face a run-off for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. And I’m proud to say that WCF will be with her on the ground in these last days.

WCF is sending a full-time representative to work in North Carolina for Elaine Marshall’s Campaign. Mary Schilling, a former WCF Fellow, arrives today to help Get Out The Vote, recruit volunteers, and manage phone banks across the state.

We’ve chosen to support Marshall’s campaign because her candidacy has, from the beginning, represented the core ideals of WCF. As a non-partisan, non-establishment organization dedicated to getting women involved in politics, we are focused on the quality of the woman running, and not who the party leadership has decided is the most likely to win the race.

For 36 years, we have stuck to this principle—and the results in North Carolina’s recent democratic primary proved that top-down, partisan politics isn’t always right.

Winning almost 37% of the vote, Marshall was the top vote-getter, confounding party assumptions about her viability as a candidate. Since her primary, Marshall has received endorsements from a former opponent and retired Congresswoman Eva Clayton. Clearly, Elaine Marshall has the local expertise and personal willpower to fight for North Carolina, and American women, in the U.S. Senate.

Indeed, Marshall has already proven her mettle as North Carolina’s Secretary of State, leading the charge against Wall Street corruption and helping to return $340 million to North Carolinians. She was also recognized by the National Federation of Democratic Women as their ‘Outstanding Democratic Woman Elected Official’ for 2010. This is the type of leadership and consistent support for progressive values that led WCF to support Marshall from the beginning of her political career, especially when establishment organizations were unwilling to listen.

We’re excited to continue that support from Washington and on the ground in North Carolina. We’ll be there when Marshall competes in the June 22 runoff, for the general election in November, and for the rest of her life in public office.

Cross-posted from my account at The Huffington Post

Will 2010 go down in history as the “Anti-Year of the Woman?”

Given the track record for women candidates already this year, I would say it’s a distinct possibility. So far, we’ve seen Dede Scozzafava, Martha Coakley, Jennifer Brunner, Connie Saltonstall, Colleen Hanabusa, Elaine Marshall, and Rep. Carol Shea-Porter stunted, dismissed, and undermined by their own political parties.

These women come from both sides of the aisle, which is one of the many important points made by National Journal reporter Erin McPike in her recent piece about the struggle of female candidates.

The obstacles to women’s political success are many: lack of party support, lack of recruitment, ingrained sexism, and male-dominated leadership of both parties.

Yes, the odds stacked against women candidates seem insurmountable. However, I am proud to say that the Women’s Campaign Forum (WCF) has been addressing each of these problems since 1974–and we’re not about to give up now.

WCF is the oldest national non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing women’s political participation, at all levels of office. We support women from the very earliest stages of their political careers.

Here’s how we tackle four of the biggest problems facing women candidates:

Lack of Party Support

We know the old boys’ club is alive and well on both sides of the aisle. As each woman this year has been squeezed out or rejected by their own party, WCF has been right there by their side. We watched, many times in shock, at how the political system blatantly damaged talented female candidates.

But this is exactly why WCF exists. We aren’t about politics as usual. We don’t wait for the masses and establishment to throw their collective weight behind a woman to support her–we’re there from the very beginning.

We invest in the woman–not just the particular race she happens to be in at that time. We focus on the political careers of our candidates, seeing their individual gifts and talents.

Not bound by party politics, WCF has been able to uniquely support women in this intimate way for 36 years.

But electing women from both parties is the only way we will ever reach gender equality in our government. A non-partisan approach is essential. We will continue to look for ways to invest in women Republican candidates who support reproductive health choices to ensure that the road to women’s equal representation is paved.

Women’s Lack of Recruitment

Thanks to the brilliant research of Jennifer Lawless, we know that women are:

• 50% less likely than men to seriously consider running for office.
• 30% less likely to actually run.
• One-third less likely to view themselves as qualified to run for office.
• One-third less likely to be asked to run for office.

WCF’s She Should Run program addresses these facts head-on. We know that if women aren’t even thinking about running for office that they need to be asked–a lot. She Should Run’s easy online platform helps us encourage women across the country to consider running for office, no matter what political party they may choose.

Through She Should Run, women are asked to consider running by someone they know and trust–which often greatly impacts a woman’s decision to become a candidate.

Ingrained Sexism

Sexism remains one of the largest factors hurting women candidates. WCF has repeatedly spoken out against misogynistic remarks made about women public figures from both parties. We work with our candidates to ensure they are prepared to handle the toxic political atmosphere that has been created for women.

When the sexism was flung most recently at Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Susan Collins, Martha Coakley, Rep. Betty Sutton, Sen. Mary Landrieu, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Secretary Jennifer Brunner, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, WCF and I were there speaking out and saying, “not on our watch.”

Male-Dominated Party Leadership

The list of Republican and Democratic Party leaders provided by McPike speaks for itself: Women have almost no power in their own political party. Clearly women can’t rely on anyone else but ourselves to increase our numbers in public office.

This is why WCF stresses the importance of women’s mentorship at all levels of office as well as positions of support. As was recently reported by Erika Lovley in POLITICO, women are still largely underrepresented in the offices of Congressional members. We look to help foster women helping each other during our Hill’s Got Talent and Hail to the Chiefs special programs.

We know that if we want to see real change, we must see more women at the top.

I hope that many will stand with us to work for women’s leadership at all levels of office, across the country, and from all political parties.

If we truly want to advance women’s rights, we need women who support reproductive health choices for all. If we truly want to reach gender equality in our government, we must support women on both sides of the aisle.