Women and Politics

This post was submitted by Jean Qiao, WCF Communications Fellow

WCF applauds Rep. Julie Hamos and Cheryle Jackson for two well-run campaigns. Thank you for taking the brave step of running for federal office and setting an example to women all around the country.

In a hard-fought race for the slot as the Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 10th congressional district, Julie Hamos was defeated by a mere 500 votes, with 99% of all precincts reporting. We hope that Hamos will continue to run for public office, as we desperately need experienced women who are dedicated to protecting women’s reproductive freedoms.

In spite of extreme media scrutiny, Cheryle Jackson ran a strong campaign for U.S. Senate. As a personal victim of the current lackluster health care system, Jackson serves as a fresh voice to U.S. politics. In her concession speech last night, Jackson said:

“Tonight we are here for a different kind of victory. Maybe not the victory we wanted but I view tonight as still a victory. I jumped into this race to give a voice to everyday people. People who are often overlooked by government”.

Women win and lose elections at the same rate of men. However, 50% less women even consider running, with only a fraction making the decision to become a candidate or run for higher office.

Research shows that women must be asked to run at least six times before they seriously consider running for public office. With only 17% of Congress being women, we must ensure that more women all across the country are running for office.

We only lose when women don’t run. Ask a woman you know today to run for office!

We are very proud of our endorsed candidates for their desire to bring about change, and strongly encourage them to run again, and for higher office, in the future.

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.