State Voices

I feel fairly confident in saying across the board with Emerge affiliates what they need is [that] they need more capacity. …I think most of them could use a second staffer, most of them are one-woman shows. A second or third staffer would do wonders, depending on the size of the state. And taking fundraising off the state affiliates’ plates…because it’s a massive time stuck on all executive directors. It’s really difficult when everyone’s fundraising in kind of siloed ways."

The reality that has existed as long as there’s been anything remotely like a women’s movement of any generation, the suffrage, etc. What is the looming question always emerging and re-emerging…is women that are not white women fully having an absolute, a place at the table. …You’ve got some of the most incredibly resilient leadership in the ranks of African American women and other women of color. …Are we going to engage and acknowledge what’s the truth about our history and move forward together, join hands to rectify and restore and fully bring women of color into leadership? That’s a question. …Are we making steps and transforming that looming reality that has emerged over and over and over and over and over again…[in women’s] battle for full equality? …There’s progress on it, but…work to do."

It is a hard thing to juggle for women [candidates] because people are harder on us. You’ve got to be smart on the issues but you can’t be the ‘b’ word. You can’t be too nice because then you’ll look like you’re a pushover. It’s a really fine balance and a lot of women get it right and some don’t."

We have seen a real shift in demographics in the State of Georgia taking the state to the left, making it not as robust or viable of an opportunity politically for Republican women, especially in metro Atlanta. The demographics in metro Atlanta shifted so quickly, just in Georgia really, I would say [in the past] five years. …The donut, if you will, around metro Atlanta is pretty solidly Democrat. I don’t really see many opportunities for a Republican woman there. …[I see] some real shift in the electorate and the growth patterns of the state [where] I think…we are moving to the left."

I’m a young single woman and…as soon as I was elected, the rumors started of who it was that I was sleeping with. …I always have to be on and I always have to be presentable. And I have to make sure that I am dressed appropriately. Like I’m very cognizant [that] I can’t wear shorts if I’m out in an official capacity. …My experience has very much been [that] I have to be on all the time."

It’s also really hard to recruit people of color outside of traditionally minority-represented districts because when you hear the things that come out of the Oklahoma legislature, when you hear quotes from Republican legislators that are just blatantly racist, it’s hard to convince a person of color to come join that work environment. …As hard as it is for me sometimes, it is much, much harder for the women of color in our caucus because there are a lot of microaggressions that happen every day."

It’s wonderful that women get elected, but it’s even more important that women get into leadership positions because that’s where candidate recruitment happens. That’s where campaign spending decisions are made and those are the people that are getting the most media attention."

I think that if the Democratic Party held more seats then there would be more women [legislators] just because of our representation in urban areas, representation in communities of color. I think that a more balanced legislature partisan-wise would also mean that more women were elected."

I don’t think Nevada’s ever had barriers to women running [for office]. I think through the decades just culture and time has changed things…[it’s] just more accepted that women are taking a more public role. And so I think some of that is just a progression of time of how things have changed. Women have moved out of just working in the home and things like that. And so I think some of [the increase in women’s political representation] is just a result of that change."

As a mother helping other local parties and electeds – when we host events and when we attend events, [I am] making sure they’re kid-friendly or mother-friendly. …We bring our kids to events unapologetically. We just say,…‘Well, these are my kids. Yeah, they are going to cry. They are going to do this [and] they are going to end up probably not [having] the best hair and outfit, but they are here.’ At the end of the day, that’s who we’re working for. We’re trying to make Illinois better for them. …You will see more of this at events – just making it…more family-friendly and using that lens to helping the local parties and the local committeemen and committeewomen understand that when we host events and we want to get people involved in politics, we have to make it as easy as possibly and as family-friendly as possible."

What gives me concern is that elections are becoming increasingly more expensive. …The reality is that these positions, even at a local level, are becoming so expensive that…it’s going to be…even more difficult for women of color and any people of color to run for office. And I think the informal political networks of other people of color [are] probably the only things that [are] going to help alleviate some of that."

I believe particularly in the area where I live, there is an informal infrastructure [of support for women in politics]. I don’t think we necessarily call it a formal infrastructure because a person cannot simply go on Google and say, ‘I want to run for office. Who do I contact to do this?’ Like you’re not going to type it in and it’s going to populate for you. …It’s become an informal infrastructure of local women who support each other. [That] is what allowed me to also make this decision. Not just make it, but understand that with this support there’s more odds of success versus if there was no support being a middle-class, brown woman with three kids that also needs my support. Knowing that I would have needed to raise so much money and also lacked support from other people who would be my colleagues – that would have made it very difficult. It’s not impossible. I’ve seen it. That’s what I’ve done – help people build those networks and raise money. But realistically speaking, that informal network of women makes it easier, at least as a young mother and a woman of color, [it] made it easier."