State Voices

Well, you have the same power players behind the legislators. And I know that’s been one concern and complaint that a lot of people have had is that they wish we had a bigger pool of consultants to choose from when it comes time to run and to have representation because there’s been a monopoly, really. So you know, as much as I hate to say it, those are the people who kind of pull the strings."

Power is people."

There are value sets in politics…that are promoted particularly with the guys…[of] loyalty and staying in line and pulling for the team. …I think that the idea of having women in that space becomes a question mark, right, in the sense of, ‘Is she going to be overly emotional and [is she] going to be uncontrollable?’"

I think that there’s a little bit more hesitance, right, in terms of maybe doing something inappropriate. I don’t think that [new rules on sexual harassment have] completely changed the culture and, all of a sudden, people are so respectful. But I think it did put people on notice that [harassment] was a real thing, that you will be held accountable to your actions and it’s not how it used to be or [will] just get swept under the rug and then that’s it. I’m not saying that every instance gets brought out. [That’s] certainly not the case in Georgia. But I think…it did strike a little bit of fear in the people who are doing the wrong stuff."

I think that [gender and racial diversity is] inherently something the [Democratic] Caucus was always going to support. You know, we pride ourselves on having a really diverse body…and a really diverse caucus, and I think that that’s something that was always reflected in the office electorally."

You literally have to say, ‘Look at me, look at me, look at what I did.’ You have to do that all the time, and probably more as a Black woman than others, because we just have to constantly prove ourselves."

So there is [a support infrastructure for Democratic women in politics], but…not for the local level. That is what I found."

Especially for state government workers, the pay that you’re going to get [in the Illinois legislature] versus the pay that you would get working in the private sector, especially if you’re a young female or a young minority coming out of law school, [is significantly different]. [Do] you really…want to come down to Springfield and work for not very much money, have to travel, all that, or [if] you can just work for a law firm in Chicago, what are you gonna do?"

Georgia is, what I think, at a significant demographic crossroads. Certainly, women of color are much more engaged than men of color in the state of Georgia. There [are] more Latinas registered to vote than there are Latinos. And women are engaging in ways that are substantive to help build a better community together. But I think part of the challenge is [that] we are in a system that the deck is stacked against substantial wins for our communities. We have a redistricting, gerrymandered process that packed in [and] diluted minority communities to help preserve white male dominance in the Georgia legislature."

If we want a Latina congresswoman from Georgia, a lot of the preparation of being in the public space comes at the local levels."

I would be lying if I told you there probably isn’t some slight bias with women [candidates] among [the donor class]. If the donor class is 80% male, then it’s not surprising we keep ending up with male candidates."

Democrats have a list of attacks that they make on Republicans, no matter what — we’re extreme on this or that, abortion, et cetera, et cetera. …They stick more to [an] old white man than they would to a female candidate, right? It’s very hard…for a white man Democrat to attack a woman saying…essentially what you should do when it comes to abortion, what you should do when it comes to you know, childcare, et cetera. …So there is no doubt that there is an electoral advantage, and whoever cracks the code and marries up a strong, qualified female with the resources is going to win…a statewide election [in Pennsylvania]."