Posted on 04/27/2005 10:09:16 AM PDT by SmithL
EMILY's List, a national organization that advocates for the election of pro-choice Democratic women, fears declining numbers of women in the political pipeline could reverse decades of advances for the fairer sex in the California Legislature.
Nearly half of the Legislature's 37 elected women will lose their seats to term limits in 2006, and an additional 11 will see their time run out in 2008.
If women fail to run and win these open seats, the number of women in the Legislature could plummet to 10, or just 8 percent of the 120-member Assembly and Senate.
"Term limits open up seats for women, but it also means that we need to provide support and training at the local level to keep a strong flow of women in the political pipeline," said Cristina Uribe with EMILY's List.
California is not alone.
Declining or stagnant numbers of women willing to participate in political life "is a big concern nationwide," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
Walsh points to a complex web of factors that favor men over women.
Women tend to delay entering politics until their children are older or grown, and they are far less likely to view themselves as qualified to hold public office, Walsh said.
"As a result, women often need to be asked to run for public office. But until the entire system of who gets groomed for public office changes, we will continue to see white men picking other white men to run for office," she said.
In a nationwide initiative designed to draw more women into politics, EMILY's List dramatically bolstered its political training program for pro-choice Democratic women in anticipation of the 2006 and 2008 elections.
The group has held three political training sessions in California this year, the first it has held in the state, and plans several more before the end of the year.
The 11/2-day class is a crash course in what women need to know to run for office.
"Part of the reason women don't run is because no one has asked them," Uribe said. "We're asking them and we're helping them develop the skills they need to join a pipeline of qualified women candidates."
It's unlikely that all of the termed-out women will exit political life or that men will claim all the open seats.
At least 10 women have declared themselves candidates for the open seats, while 11 of the termed-out women in 2006 plan to run for higher office or return to local politics.
Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Sunol, and Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, must leave the Senate in 2006. But both are running for lieutenant governor against the better-known state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi.
Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, who also terms out in 2006, created controversy when she decided to go after her old seat as an Alameda County supervisor as an interim job until she could run for a senate seat in 2008.
In other statewide races for termed-out women, Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Los Angeles, is running for secretary of state while Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, will run for insurance commissioner.
"It's a matter of real concern to think about the possible loss of 16 women next year," said Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, who will term out in 2008. "We already know there tends to be fewer women as you go up the political ladder and without the experience, confidence and contacts you gain at the state level, there will be even fewer women to run."
EMILY's List -- an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast," it makes the dough rise -- celebrated its 20th birthday this year.
The Washington, D.C.-based group held its first meeting in 1985 in founder Ellen Malcolm's basement, where several dozen women pooled their contact lists and sent letters asking for contributions for pro-choice, Democratic female candidates.
In its first election cycle, EMILY's List raised $350,000 and helped elect U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland, the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate.
It has since grown to become one of the largest political action committees in the nation, and raised $10.7 million in the last election.
Other organizations perform similar work, including locally based groups or the GOP version, Women In the Senate and the House, although none have grown as large as EMILY's List.
While EMILY's List solicits direct contributions to candidates on its endorsement list, it has also evolved into a full-service campaign center for women through its Political Opportunity Program. It includes political training for staff professional consultants and technical campaign assistance.
Staff deployed the program in California in a limited fashion in the 2003-04 election.
But they plan to substantially ramp it up for the next election with a special focus on local emerging candidates at the city council or county supervisor level, Uribe said.
"This is where our future state and congressional leaders will come from," Uribe said. "Who is the next (U.S. Sens., D-Calif.,) Barbara Boxer or Dianne Feinstein? We have our eyes on the long view."
Heh. There's nothing "fair", in any sense of the word, about the sort of harpies EMILY's List supports.
In other words, there are a number of legislative women whose seats are up for grabs.
How much money has EMILY given to women with an R on the ballot?
Hopefully none, since the whole point of the list is to promote partial-birth abortion.
"How much money has EMILY given to women with an R on the ballot?"
Superb question! The answer is probably 000000000.00000000
Cash support for abortionists and their enablers is drying up as American voters, women included, get a solid look at their monolithic agendas.
First of all, they're not really women if they have that (R).
But, if they were, not enough to fill the tank of an SUV.
Since most of the women in the Calif. legislature (including such alumni as Maxine Waters) are shrews, this would seem to be good news.
If women fail to run and win these open seats, the number of women in the Legislature could plummet to 10, or just 8 percent of the 120-member Assembly and Senate.
They make it sound like these are 'women' seats.
Can't women run for the 93 other seats not currently held by women?
They're terming out none to soon for me.
Too bad more radical socialists will be elected into their seats in CA's hopeless gerrymandered districts. Trust me, abortion is in no danger from their replacements.
in my humble male opinion - men are from mars etc etc. which means in FR speak, women like to play get "along and be nice." Men play games with rules. Politics is a game of rules and any idiot can see that it is not a nice game anymore. As Truman said, "Can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen."
...Infection
I always thought it stood for "EMILY's Money Is Like a Yeast infection".
If these women are all Dims, expect a rule change soon so they can keep their jobs.
I agree.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.