January 23, 2018
NEWS & NOTES
A newsletter to keep you informed about all things women and politics from the Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University.
Data Point: 2018, A Year of the Woman Like 1992?
Then-Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-CO.) leads a delegation of congresswomen to the Senate to voice concerns on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, Oct. 8, 1991. (Source: Associated Press.) 
1992 has long been labeled the "Year of the Woman," a nod to the record numbers of women who ran and won that year. What factors contributed to the unusual nature of 1992? Are those factors in evidence today? Read our latest Data Point for a comparison of the major factors shaping the 1992 and 2018 election cycles in terms of women's representation, including the number of women candidates, the number of open seats available, and the "men behaving badly" factor.
Election Watch 2018: Keep up the Numbers
You can follow along with CAWP as we track women candidates running around the country.
Our Summary of Women Candidates keeps a running tally and breaks down the numbers, and the lists of women candidates running by state are here. 
First Women Marched, Now they Run
Last year's marches personified a sense of urgency that many women felt after the election of Donald Trump. They also symbolized a degree of solidarity among women that - while imperfect and incomplete - had not been felt for decades, writes CAWP scholar and Rutgers University-Camden professor Kelly Dittmar, as she breaks down the major moments and milestones in women's political leadership that demonstrate how women's mobilization in 2017 did not end after the marches did in this NJ.com opinion piece.
 
And take a look at this piece that ran on Nightline examining the "pink wave" of women running featuring CAWP director Debbie Walsh.  
It's Your Turn: Time to Run for Office

Ready to Run® 
Campaign Training for Women
Friday & Saturday, 
March 9-10, 2018
New Brunswick, NJ 

Join the record number of women throwing t heir hat in the political ring by registering now for our Ready to Run® bipartisan program for women, Friday and Saturday, March 9-10th at the Douglass Student Center, Rutgers-New Brunswick. You will walk away with: p ractical "how-tos" for candidates; r eal world advice and best practices from the experts; s trategies for positioning yourself for public leadership; t he ins and outs of New Jersey politics; t ips and tools for legislative advocacy: and c ampaigning in a digital age.

Three pre-program Diversity Initiative sessions address the interests of women of color:

HURRY! February 9th is the deadline for early bird reduced registration!

Not in New Jersey? Check out upcoming Ready to Run® partner programs in Oklahoma ,  Pittsburgh  and  Philadelphia .
The Women's Political Movement: What Happened Last Year, and What's Next?
As Susan Chira reports in The New York Times , no one knew whether the women's marches of 2017 marked a moment or a movement, but now it's becoming clearer: "Women have become the foot soldiers and emerging leaders of a two-pronged effort: sustained political resistance to the Trump presidency, as they run for office in unheard-of numbers; and a broader cultural challenge to men's power and privilege, embodied by the #MeToo uprising."

Gail Collins of The New York Times shares her perspective on the contribution that Hillary Clinton has made to this year's surge in women running for office.
 
Reuters  is one of many media outlets covering the new era of women's political activism. For TheCut.com , Rebecca Traister draws on CAWP's candidate data to discuss "the other women's march on Washington" - women running for office in 2018. Time.com  profiled several first-time women candidates, and The Seattle Times  talked to some of the women who had a "why not me?" moment over the past year.
 
Amy Chozick makes the case in  The New York Times  that we wouldn't be in the midst of a widespread cultural focus on women's equality, including " black gowns at the Golden Globes, sexual assault victims invited to the State of the Union address, a nationwide, woman-led voter registration drive timed to the anniversary of the Women's March," without Hillary Clinton's defeat.
 
Post-election, The Washington Post  asks whether the record-breaking number of women elected to the Virginia legislature can successfully break the "boy's club."
 
#JerseyProud
Humor us for a moment of Garden State pride, but we have to take a moment to recognize three women who consistently live by the adage "lift as you climb." Earlier this month, the New Jersey State Senate bid farewell to outgoing Senator Diane Allen (R-7), who served for 22 years. According to The Burlington County Times , several colleagues described Allen as a "warrior" and "role model" for other legislators and for women everywhere. We couldn't agree more. Francine Weinberg Graff penned an ode  to her mother, State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-37), including this gem: "I want to leave a whole bunch of troublemakers following in my footsteps." 
And of course, let's not forget that last week Sheila Oliver was sworn in as New Jersey's new Lieutenant Governor. Oliver is the first woman of color to be elected statewide in New Jersey and the first Black Democratic Woman elected Lieutenant Governor in any state.

Sexual Harassment Under Marble Ceilings
A number of Democratic women in Congress plan to wear black to the president's annual State of the Union address, but will Republican women join them? In the past, sexual assault and harassment is one issue where lawmakers on both sides have both been willing to speak out on, CAWP's director Debbie Walsh explained to Quartz .
 
NJ.com  reports that New Jersey's sexual harassment policies for lawmakers are among the worst in the nation according to an Associated Press study, and top legislators are looking to change that.
Supporting women's political equality pays dividends 
in a stronger democracy and more representative government. 
Invest $50 in CAWP today! 


Center for American Women and Politics
Eagleton Institute of Politics
Rutgers University | New Brunswick
191 Ryders Lane, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8557
(848) 932-9384 - Fax: (732) 932-6778