State Voices

One of the things we’ve tried to do is [increase the racial/ethnic diversity in our party]. …I’ve got a mix of Hispanics and people of color on my executive committee and I want it to stay that way. …They are solid Republicans and we try and get them out and get them shaking the bushes because we just want to be more diverse. …We’re trying to be as diverse as we can be. We want as many voters as we can. And, you know, that’s just the name of the game. Get out the votes. I mean there [are] more Republicans than there are Democrats and if we [get] them all out…we win."

I mean it’s been awful and hard [as a woman political consultant in Oklahoma]. …When I was pregnant with Guthrie I had multiple candidates [of] both genders ask me if I was going to be able to handle it. But no one asked my husband that. …And, you know, I’ve been called aggressive and arrogant when my husband is just as confident. I’ve been called a bitch. …You try to not internalize it too much because at the end of the day there’s plenty of women out here supporting the cause too, but, yeah, there’s lots of sexism. And I do think it’s gotten a little bit better, I do, thanks to the representation at the Capitol — the people seeing these awesome women making change up there, right? It [has] just helped in general."

I think it’s…vitally important that women are here [as political consultants]. …I ran a business with my husband and he is as feminist as could be and checks his white male privilege all the time, but he is still a white male that struggles no matter what with that internalized patriarchal point of view. And that’s why it’s so important that we’re in these positions. And so I think that it [has] improved and I think even on the Republican side, [the number of women consultants has] improved like over the last decade."

Everything [Madigan] did was about maintaining his control as speaker."

I think some of the effects [of women’s representation] that I see have been muted by the fact that leadership is still male, both the House speaker and the Senate president have continued to be men. And I think that if there were women in those roles, I think the impact would be greater. [Interview conducted in March 2022.]"

What we found is in the last appointments [to vacant seats]…that’s one way to get a minority or a woman started [in elective office]. …The easiest way to do it is through the appointment process when there’s an opening. Whether it be school board, city council, wherever, because then once they’re there, they are the incumbent. That gives them access to contacting lobbyists. That gives them access to raising money. That gives them a foot in the door, at least, [to] choose to run the next time —they have opportunity. And I think if anybody analyzed that, you’d start to see that the appointment process could be a door opening for women and minorities to get into politics."

The other thing that’s happening, I think nationally but in Nevada…is we are recruiting women – Emerge and PLAN [Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada] and all sorts of groups – but…there [are] probably three campaign managers left in the state. …You can recruit everybody up the ying-ying but if you don’t have people to actually help you execute that race from school board on up, then we’ve got…problems. …So that is part of what hurts women."

How do you keep these women around? Because public service…it’s a very toxic environment. It’s a very hard grind. …You’re subjecting your family and your children to all of that. And I think women carry that burden quite differently, and so how do we create a system that allows women to support each other so that they will have longevity in public service and rise to the ranks of being the next agency director or Cabinet member?"

We are 100% doing this by the skin of our teeth and by the conviction of our hearts."

It’s important for our party to broaden our tent. …I mean everybody, even the men in our party – the old men that have been there – realize that we’ve got to change things to have more minorities and women. So now is a perfect time for women who feel like they are called or feel like they want to run [for office]. It is a good time to do that."

Inside the chamber we’re all very collegial and I think people recognize the power of the people of color and women and our influence and that’s respected. …[But] if you are in one of the committee meetings, like labor or energy or environment – some of those bigger committees – and you’re sitting on one side and looking out into the audience…it’s a sea of male faces. …There’s still a lot of male domination among a certain corps of lobbyists, right? And I see that changing a little bit now, but it’s still kind of a boys’ club among the lobbyists."

[Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick] had a vision to make sure women had a place at the table. And so she made sure that we, the women that had gotten elected, had leadership positions. And so that’s how we ended up chairing committees and holding leadership roles in such a small amount of time because she was pivotal. And now we have a majority-woman legislature and she was part of that cornerstone that made it happen."