State Voices

I do think that we are seeing more women getting in the space of being political operatives, of being chief of staff, of being legislative directors, and taking on more roles. Now…I want to caution that we need to make sure these women are set up for success and not failure because being the first or the second comes with…a lot of people have an arrow on your back or they may not want you to be set up for success so that they can say, ‘See – you gave it to a woman and she messed it all up.’ …I think that we need to make sure they’re set up for success, [that] they have the professional and developmental tools surrounded by them, they have the mental health support, they have the mentors to help guide them, [and] they have a solid foundation to lead from."

We still have a problem in that both voters in America and other party leaders at all levels – state, county – believe in their heart that white males over 50 are saviors and that they are the only ones that can fix problems."

I don’t know if there’s even really another women’s leadership organization like IWIL [Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership] in any other state. …It is truly amazing. It is run by a group of senior politicians, female politicians, that are brilliant and have really paved the way for all of us. The training was outstanding and very real life. …I don’t think I would have gotten within 2% in my 2018 campaign had I not had that real-life simulation in this training. And also now we’ve had the supportive group [of] my fellowship class of 2017. We all have remained close and are very supportive of one another because we went through that experience together and also know what it’s like to be a woman, whether it’s politics, nonprofit world, or business world. So I think that program in particular did a great job of simulating real-life situations, …but also it provided this amazing network of politicians, political consultants, political operatives, staff, politically savvy people, and also information, research, analysis that was helpful as you mold your career forward. It was truly amazing."

Who do the lobbyists generally talk to? They talk to our male colleagues. When a lobbyist was upset with me about something, they didn’t call me. They called my male colleague to go call me and tell me about it. And it’s upsetting. You have this conversation with me, you can sit down with me, or they demean me, think I’m incompetent. Those types of things happen way too often and…if we’re going to really change politics, we need to have more women in all parts of politics, too. We need more women that are lobbyists. We need more women that are taking government affairs positions. We need more women of color in those roles as well. But until that happens, we’re going to continue to see this."

There’s higher expectations of [women of color in leadership spaces] because not only are they expected to fulfill the duties of that role, but they are also supposed to be the translator of our culture, right? …I think that that’s also what we feel, [that] we’re the face of an entire community when there’s already not enough of us. …This additional responsibility in addition to our role as legislators and candidates [is] not one that I’m mad at, but we need more of us so that we can continue at this work."

How I dress [as a state legislator] has been criticized. Quite honestly, I think that I probably dress more professionally than a lot of my colleagues but because I’m a rather curvy woman who’s also in shape and just because…bodies like mine have been historically sexualized and overly sexualized, I get conversations about my body. And I can be wearing something completely conservative."

Are there the tools for [women] to be successful once they’re in office? Is there a network to support them? Especially because, I’ll say as a Latina legislator, I think we do so much because I want to be there for the community 110%. But it’s hard when you are also holding down a full-time job and you’ve got your own campaign and then you’ve got meetings and this and that. So I think it’s a good juggle that we find."

I’m not sure that [the Republican Party] view [women’s political underrepresentation] as a problem that needs a solution as much as an opportunity. A lot of our women candidates and legislators have been very strong and good for the party. So I think they view it as an opportunity for them."

What I continue to hear is that people in our party are looking for a strong woman; they would like to see more strong Republican women running statewide for office. So I think there’s just great opportunity for women who want to run statewide."

We will see over time things beginning to change because, even in the short period that I’ve been the [Democratic] Leader, some of the candidates that I meet and talk to ask me about the journey. …They see what’s going on in Pennsylvania and they’re encouraged to hear a woman’s voice at that podium. So I think we have to realize that although [progress for women in politics has] been slow, it will begin to increase. We’ll be able to get more women of color, more women of diverse backgrounds elected as well. It is just hard in this day and age where we still have a patriarchal system, we just still have a system that’s mostly white men. It takes time, but I think we are…providing a fresh start. [Interview conducted in August 2022 before McClinton became Speaker of the Pennsylvania House.]"

I was already familiar with how isolating [being a legislator] can be when you want to function with a world of your family. And I didn’t even have the consideration that many women have, which is what about my life partner or what about my children? It is a tough situation to navigate. I mean especially when you are talking about living more than two hours away. …So every other week I’m going to drive five hours and who’s going to watch my children? Who’s going to take care of my household? I mean, it’s a real sacrifice. So we have to continue to grow the table of opportunity but also recognize [that] there are real hindrances that [are] present [for] women from even jumping into [elective office]."

And I know that in the time that I was staff I recognized that [they are] the integral piece to every puzzle. You can have a good idea. You can have a good speech. But if your team doesn’t execute, it’s just something that’s come out of your mouth. Whether you’re talking about some resources for your community or a legislative plan, if your staff does not execute it does not happen. So I definitely encourage women to apply for these positions and opportunities and every single role is significant. There is not one that’s minor in a legislative body, all of them are interdependent on each other."