Women and Politics

This post was submitted by Jean Qiao, WCF Communications Fellow

Last night Robin Kelly took her first step to becoming the next Illinois State Treasurer.

Her proven record of success and integrity earned her the Democratic nomination in yesterday’s primary. Robin served as the representative for the Illinois 38th legislative district in the State Assembly before being appointed to Chief of Staff of the current State Treasurer.

Throughout her time serving in public office, Robin has continuously proven herself as a strong advocate for the Illinois citizens. Congratulations, Robin, on a well-deserved victory.

She will face Republican Senator Dan Rutherford in November’s general election.

Click here to learn more about Kelly or get involved in her campaign.

This post was submitted by Jean Qiao, WCF Communications Fellow

President Obama and many other candidates have been motivated by the desire for change. And candidate for Illinois State Treasurer Robin Kelly is no different.

Kelly has made helping people her number one priority throughout her career. She is a trusted leader in her community and will bring true change—especially when it comes to government transparency and safeguarding citizens’ tax dollars.

Kelly’s desire to bring about change led her to run for the Illinois general assembly in 2002, when she challenged and defeated a 10-year incumbent candidate in the race. During her tenure as representative of the 38th district of Illinois, Kelly continuously proved herself a strong advocate for the citizens of her district—she was a proud sponsor of landmark legislation to protect victims of domestic violence.

Currently, Kelly holds the top non-elected position in the state Treasurer’s office, Chief of Staff. In her role, Kelly directly supervises all departments in the Treasurer’s office as well as manages and administers the state budget to state and local funds.

As State Treasurer, Kelly has a record of providing transparency and responsibility. In a recent interview with the Windy City Times, she stated that she hopes to continue serving with integrity:

“I have a proven track record of putting people first. This office requires continued transparency because, as treasurer, we invest $14 billion each day of taxpayers’ money. As chief of staff to our current Treasurer I have helped contribute to the success of this office. We have responsibly managed and invested taxpayer’s money with more transparency than ever before”

Kelly’s hands-on experience in managing finances as well as her desire to help families across the state makes her the best candidate for the position. In one of the worst economies since 1939, it is obvious that Robin has both the experience and dedication needed to serve as Illinois State Treasurer.

Click here to learn more about Kelly or get involved with her campaign.

This post was submitted by Jean Qiao, WCF Communications Fellow

The Illinois primary is only one week away, and the pressure is on for candidates vying to win the democratic primary. The beginning of 2010 has not been an easy ride for the Democratic Party. With the recent defeat of Martha Coakley, healthcare reform has been put in severe jeopardy—which will directly affect millions of women. Now more than ever, we need strong women serving in U.S. Congress.

IL State Representative Julie Hamos is seeking nomination to be the democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 10th district. Hamos has been a strong proponent for women’s rights for over 30 years, even before being elected to serve as State Senator of Illinois. Prior to serving in public office, she wrote the first laws to protect battered women and co-founded the Illinois State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

In addition, Hamos fought to secure safe shelters for battered women and children in Illinois. With the upcoming reauthorization of the Violence against Women Act, her knowledge and experience with the issue will help ensure a comprehensive act that will protect victims of domestic violence.

Hamos is also a strong advocate of a public health insurance policy that ensures coverage for everyone. With the recent loss of the crucial 60th vote for health care, there is no better time to elect someone who is as knowledgeable and passionate about the issue.

Julie is staunchly against the recently defeated Stupak-Pitts amendment, which if passed, would severely limit women’s access to reproductive care. On Stupak, she said:

“I fundamentally disagreed with the inclusion of the Stupak Amendment into the health care reform bill that would deny women access to reproductive health care. This amendment represents a major step backwards in the fight for reproductive freedoms and its very inclusion in the bill is a stark reminder of why we need strong Democratic women in Congress now as much as ever.”

Out of the 435 members in the House of Representatives, only 76 are women. In a time when members of Congress are jumping at every opportunity to limit women’s reproductive freedoms, we need leaders like Julie Hamos.