Women and Politics

This post was submitted by Sophie Shulman, WCF Communications Fellow

In 2009, our political team at WCF identified Beth Krom, the former Mayor of Irvine, California, and current City Councilwoman, as a promising candidate for California’s 48th district. WCF endorsed her candidacy early on, and we’ve been helping her gain national attention ever since. This morning, we were thrilled to hear that Krom was named Democracy for America’s Grassroots All-Star.

Here at WCF, we’ve fought for Krom because she is committed to the advancement of women in leadership, and has proven to be a strong and capable representative of Irvine’s interests. During her tenure as Mayor, Irvine was named the “Safest City in America” four times, and also as one of the “Greenest Cities in America.” Running in a Republican area, Krom has won the past five elections in which she has participated, showing that she knows what it takes to run an effective campaign.

As a former teacher, business owner, volunteer, and mother, Krom’s political and life experience is well suited to address the complex needs of her constituents. While we’ve known all along that Krom has what it takes to be a great leader, this impressive victory shows that she has the grassroots support necessary to provide a tough challenge to the incumbent, John Campbell.

John Campbell is one of the most anti-woman candidates currently serving in Congress. In a recent blog post, he suggested eliminating family planning funding under Title X, and his votes speak for themselves: against equal pay for women and for employee discrimination.  Although Republicans have historically held this seat, Krom has what it takes to convince Orange County that she’s the right choice.

Krom has already convinced numerous organizations across the country that she’ll fight for what matters. In addition to WCF, she’s received endorsements from the American Federation of Teachers, Human Rights Campaign, National Organization for Women, Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, and National Women’s Political Caucus. And most recently, Krom convinced the over 66,000 voters in DFA’s Grassroots All-Star Competition that she has the most effective team on-the-ground to fight for progressive leadership in Congress.

DFA Chair, Jim Dean, shared his impressions of Krom’s campaign:

”She has 300 volunteers on the ground (many of them local DFA members) who are door knocking, phone banking, and helping get her message out to the district. She also has city leaders who support her and volunteer to coordinate community events. These leaders have helped ensure Beth reaches each and every community throughout the district.”

Krom’s ability to reach out to her community and her strong record in California are major reasons why WCF has supported her for so long. We’re glad to see that more national organizations are getting on board, and we’ll keep fighting for her until November—and beyond!

Tags: anti-choice, beth krom, california, congress, democracy for america, democrat, grassroots