Women Aren't Just Running for Office, They're Winning

Women across the country are rising up to run for office in record numbers. 

Since the 2016 election, 36,000 women have contacted Emily's List about running for office, and 417 women have filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. 

This May, 2018, Maggie's List, a federal political action committee (PAC) dedicated to electing fiscally conservative women to federal office and statewide executive office, announced that they are endorsing 49 candidates for United States Senate, United States House of Representatives races and state-wide offices.

According to CNN, "In 1970, there was just one female Senate candidate. Today, there are 49 to 54 women running, depending on whether and which third-party candidates you include. There are 394 women running for the House and 56 in governor's races (including third-party candidates), as of May 23."

CNN also reports that Arizona has never had a woman in the Senate, making it a hotly contested seat. There are multiple women running for both the Republican and Democratic nominations in a primary on Aug. 28.

According to the Center for American Women in Politics, the number of Democratic women running for House seats this year increased 146 percent over 2016 (to 351), while the number of Republican women running for the House increased just 35 percent (to 99); on the other side of the Capitol there are only 14 Republican women running for Senate compared to 27 Democratic women.

This wave of female candidates is groundbreaking, making clear that women will be the foundation of change in 2018. 

After this season’s first batch of primary races, we know women aren’t just running; they’re winning. Specifically Democratic women are winning. 

Approximately one-third of the way through primary season, here’s a look at where Democratic women candidates are by the numbers:

• 289 Democratic women remain in the running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Meanwhile, 29 Democratic women remain in the running for the U.S. Senate, and 43 remain in gubernatorial contests.

• In the 65 contested Democratic races between men and women without an incumbent candidate, women won 45.

• In the May 8 primaries in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, and West Virginia, 22 of 31 Democratic omen wo their races.

• In the Texas primaries, 24 Democratic omen either won or made it into the top two spots for runoff elections out of 32 congressional districts.

• In first big primary night, of the 27 female House candidates who were successful, nearly 30 percent were women of color.

• Tomorrow’s California primaries, a record 57 women will be on the ballot for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Women are paying attention, and they’re rising up to make their voices heard. Who is excited for this sea change?

Photo by Mirah Curzer on Unsplash

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Create & Cultivate 100: Philanthropy: Sara Ziff

MODEL BEHAVIOR. 

It starts like any ordinary "dream" story.

At the age of 14, Sara Ziff was approached by a model scout on the streets of New York City. She was signed and found herself in high demand, albeit overwhelmed by her instant success. 

She was still a teenager after all, traveling the world to walk runways and starring in major campaigns for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. From the outside, it was a dream. From the inside, it was something entirely different. Working as a teen model with little emotional, logistical or financial support, Sara was dealing with intense feelings of vulnerability and confusion. 

In 2009, she and a boyfriend, director Ole Schell released the documentary Picture Me, an inner look at the fashion world. Initially intended to be a video diary of her experiences as a model, it became an exposé on the sinister underbelly of the fashion world. The documentary told her story, but it told another much darker story of child workers in a completely unregulated industry. “I think because we are young, women have not been taken seriously for such a long. People think it’s glamorous or we’re lucky. But it can be as non-glamours as trafficking,” she's said.

Since Picture Me, Ziff has dedicated her life to improving the working conditions for models, fighting for their rights on set and off with Model Alliance. Models, unlike actors, have no union. They are considered freelancers and are offered little protection, from long hours to abuse on set. And it's not only limited to females. A NY Times piece recently outlined egregious abuse of male models on set as well. In light of reports of abuse, Condé Nast, LVMH & Kering have announced voluntary, self-enforced codes. "A successful effort will require benchmarking best practices, running trainings & submitting to independent oversight," Tweeted Sara. In December, Sara testified at the NYC Commission on Human Rights hearing on sexual harassment in the workplace.

She has truly lived a hundred lives since the day she was scouted, graduating magna cum laude from Columbia University with a degree in political and receiving her M.P.A. from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

As founder and Executive Director of Model Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works with major designers and industry leaders to establish fair labor standards within the American fashion industry, she is dedicated to moving the needle in the modeling industry. It is run entirely by volunteers. 

More from Sara below. 

Name: Sara Ziff

Instagram: @SaraZiff

What are some of your proudest accomplishments?

Model Alliance launched in February 2012, and we’ve done so much. I’m most proud of the extended child labor laws that protect models under 18 in the state of New York. As I reflect on the last year, I am both immensely proud of what the Model Alliance has accomplished and hopeful for what the New Year will bring. We kicked off 2017 at the Women’s March on Washington and closed out the year with the announcements of two pieces of legislation, which, if enacted, will afford models protections against sexual harassment in the workplace from New York to California. 

What was your first project with the Model Alliance?

The very first thing we did was partner with two unions: Actors Equity and AGMA, the American Guild of Musical Artists. With them, we set up this grievance reporting service because we knew we ourselves and other models had all this sexual harassment and abuse that we’d experienced, or one-sided contracts with our agencies, or difficulty getting paid the money that we were owed, but there wasn’t really a safe place to air those grievances. So that was, I think, the very first thing that we did.

We also met with editors at American Vogue and talked about this connection between the extreme youth of models on the runway and the body image concerns, and shortly thereafter they introduced the Vogue initiative. We also pushed for backstage privacy during fashion week.

Those were our three primary things, and we did that knowing the industry is resistant to change, but things like backstage privacy, or creating a policy of not hiring models under the age of 16, there’s no expense involved. It’s just about rallying different stakeholders together to agree that it’s the right thing to do.

What was the community's response to Picture Me?

["Picture Me"] was on the festival circuit in 2009, and it was really at Q&A discussions for the film that we started talking about the need for a union, like the equivalent of the Screen Actors' Guild, which is now SAG-AFTRA, for models. Models would come to these screenings and get really emotional talking about bad experiences they’ve had, and the film became this organizing tool to raise awareness publicly, but also within the industry. We wanted an existing union to extend membership to models, but when it became clear that that wasn't possible, I was crazy enough to take it upon myself and start up from scratch, which people warned me not to do, but I also was studying labor and organizing in college.

What are the day-to-day operations of the Model Alliance like?

We have this grievance reporting service so we hear pretty regularly from models who have questions about their agency contracts — there are a lot of models who have difficulty getting paid the money they’re owed. Just yesterday, I was dealing with a model and her mother who were dealing with a bogus agent who was posing as a legitimate agent, and who was trying to get her to send photos and measurements to someone who was, I think, clearly unprofessional and kind of dangerous. There are so many scams in this industry, even at a high level. It’s more than any one organization working on a volunteer basis can handle, and that’s why we’ve looked at what we can do with legislation to save our models in the industry.

If you had a daughter who wanted to follow in your footsteps what advice would you give her?

If I had a daughter I’d say to her “Hold off on modeling, focus on school. There’s no need to grow up too fast.” I think it’s important for young girls to know that they really need to set their own standards and understand their own comfort levels.

Were there moments of self-doubt during your modeling career?

When you’re working at 14 you’re such an opportunist! You’re not thinking about the long term and what you want and need. I had this sense for a long time that was gnawing at me that I needed to be in a different environment where I wasn’t just being asked about myself all the time — my horoscope or hair color. That can be fun, but if that is all you are talking about with people it can be a little mind-numbing.

This interview has been edited and condensed from multiple sources.

TO SEE THE FULL CREATE & CULTIVATE PHILANTHROPY LIST CLICK HERE. 

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FULL CREATE & CULTIVATE 100 LIST HERE.

Survey Finds Women More Unlikely to Run for Office Than Ever

Cosmopolitan.com has reported that "almost a year after Donald Trump’s election to the Oval Office, Democrats continue to tout what they see as a silver lining of his victory: record numbers of women deciding to run for office. Emily’s List, a group that helps elect pro-choice Democratic women to office, reported in August that more than 16,000 women had expressed interest in running since Trump won, and Emerge America, a group that recruits and trains Democratic women, said last month it had seen an 87 percent increase in applications to its programs. In July, She Should Run, a nonpartisan organization devoted to helping more women attain public office, launched a campaign to spur 250,000 women to run for office by 2030."

And yet, in a Cosmopolitan.com survey and  “How to Run for Office” package which launched this week, the comprehensive, 16-piece package included surprising results. Namely, that the 2016 election discouraged women from running for office.

The survey of 3,813 adults over the age of 18 found that 15% of women were discouraged from running for office because of the election, versus just 10% who were encouraged. On the other hand, men were more encouraged (17%) than discouraged (13%). Men 18-34 were the most likely to consider running for public office now or in the future (26%), whereas women 35-64 were the least likely (9%).

Part of the reasoning likely includes that 72% of women think it's harder to get elected as a woman and that they are held to a higher standard. We can't argue with that. 

Still, it's not exactly what we wanted to hear. However, the package also includes practical tools, advice, and op-eds from notable female politicians and former candidates – including Martha McSally, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Muriel Bowser, Letitia James and Wendy Davis – to encourage more women to run for elected office.

How do you feel about running? Would you throw your hat in the ring to change the world? Let us know in the comments below. And check out the full findings here. 

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What a Female POTUS Win Really Means to Women

On Tuesday, June 8th when Hillary Clinton took the podium at Brooklyn Navy Shipyard she told the raptured crowd, “We’ve reached a milestone in our history.” Clinton was, of course, referring to securing the nomination as the first female nominated by a major party for the presidency. It was a speech that one Tweeter described as, “fiercely fuck you feminist.” Other women were quick to share about the “tears in their eyes.” 

This election cycle it is impossible to ignore the gender politics, or what Trump calls the “woman card,” arguing that Clinton would receive less than 5 percent of the votes if she “were a man.” But what would a win really mean, both symbolically and otherwise? And does the win mean something different to different generations of women? 

Hillary is divisive. She is currently under FBI investigation. Her campaign has accepted contributions from NRA lobbyists and Wall Street. There are many who believe all of her decisions and flip-flopping on issues are simply manipulations to achieve political gain. Opponents call her crooked, corrupt, and out for herself. Then there are others who believe her track record of defending women’s health and reproductive rights, ensuring equal pay, and fighting for paid family leave and affordable child care is progressive, unwavering, and tireless. During her time as a Senator she championed gender equality legislation, including introducing the Paycheck Fairness Act, designed to give women the tools they need to fight workplace discrimination. More are split on what one of her aides referred to as a "muscular brand of American foreign policy."  Her activist approach backed Gen. Stanley McChrystal to send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan. She supported the Pentagon’s plan to leave behind residual force of 10,000 to 20,000 troops in Iraq. She pressed for the United States to funnel arms to the rebels in Syria’s civil war. Nor does she shy from military entanglements but rather has an “appetite for military engagement abroad.” It’s what many liberals cite as their main source of distrust-- her “textbook view of American exceptionalism.” 

For every #ImWithHer, there is an equally loud and resounding #NeverHillary. 

Over the next few months as we wind closer to Election Day 2016, we will be sharing the thoughts and hopes from women of various generations and backgrounds on what a Hillary win-- and more generally, a female POTUS- means to them. 

Name: Antoinette Nolan

Born: Seattle, WA

Year: 1947

I was born right after World War II so am among the first of the baby-boom generation. My parents always expected me to excel and go to college but there their expectations diverged dramatically.  My dear, wonderful dad told me to have a good time and get a good education but not to worry about grades because I would find a husband.

Fortunately, he didn't say that was the only reason I was going to college.  My much-more-forward-thinking dear, wonderful mother told me to work hard and graduate with the ability to support myself.  She wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer.  I didn't do exactly what either one wanted or expected.  I did get married.  I raised three daughters. And almost my entire adult life, I have held jobs that I thoroughly enjoyed and would have allowed me to support myself, but I never felt the need to get a professional label.  In their own way, both of my parents positioned me to embrace the women's movement whole-heartedly.  I was never told that a woman's abilities were limited or that a woman could not think for herself or that a woman was a second-class citizen.  My parents' gift to me was belief in myself as a whole person with the freedom and skills to create a life of my own choosing.

"I was never told that a woman's abilities were limited or that a woman could not think for herself."

Tweet this. 

I am thrilled with the thought that we might have a woman president.  To me, this has always been in the same not-in-my-lifetime category of miracles as the Catholic Church accepting birth control or women priests.  I wish I could say I think the election of a woman will unite the country or stop back-biting and hate mongering or foster cooperation or bring progress on the issues facing our county and the world.  Hillary Clinton is brilliant, pragmatic, skillful, authoritative and uniquely positioned to be an outstanding President so I hope she can be a catalyst for change and progress.  She's decisive and confident and isn't afraid of being tough, so I wouldn't worry about her getting pushed around by aggressive behavior of other leaders.  I think her own heartbreaks give her empathy with the suffering of others.  She's a great model for women but all those qualities make people hate her.  I think if we elect a woman President, the feeling of exhilaration for women will be like when we got the right to vote.  Finally women will have living proof that we can achieve anything.  It's ironic that it's taken almost 100 years after women got the vote for us to finally have a chance to vote for a woman.  The misogyny in this country is discouraging and frightening.  There's already "news" that Hillary was somehow connected to the Orlando murderer.

My fear is that all the people who hate her will try to stop everything she does and it will be even worse than with Obama. I can't imagine people saying the same things about a man as they say about Hillary or a man being bullied and excoriated as Hillary has been.  Not even Trump has been treated so badly.  Hillary is a target for everyone's rage, dissatisfaction, and despair.  Her decisions on foreign or domestic policy are likely to be wildly criticized simply because she's a woman.  I'm fortunate that the men I work with want to work with competent people, be they women or men.  That's not the case for many, many women in either their work or private lives.

I hope Hillary's domestic policy will include equal pay for the same job, living wages, and child care, issues that disproportionately affect women.  Men will really hate her for it and she will be accused of trying to ruin families, take jobs away from men, bring wages down overall, etc.  It might make things worse for women.  I hope in foreign policy she will be wise.  Obama has been careful and taken calculated risks, plus he's acknowledged US wrong-doing.  That's angered people who believe one should never apologize.  Hillary is unlikely to apologize and be more hawkish so she should proceed more deliberately.  Sadly, the world is more dangerous than it was at least during Obama's first term.  She would probably do well to schmooze with foreign leaders more than he did.  Thoughtful people will appreciate a wise leader.  

Internationally, I hope Hillary will work for peace through diplomacy and non-violence, but most Americans don't believe in a Gandhiesque approach.  Domestically, I hope she will be able to build consensus and tackle substantive issues, focus on justice for Americans of all colors, creeds, classes and abilities, and be the point person for women and men to embrace our interconnected world.  

"I hope she will be the point person for women and men to embrace our interconnected world."

Tweet this.  

I hope Hillary Clinton's legacy will be belief in ourselves as a united nation made stronger through collaboration and for women in particular, recognition and acceptance that each of us is a whole being worthy of the freedom to make her own choices and reach for her own stars.   

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ITK: Meet 7 Boss Female Staffers on Capitol Hill

Sure, you know Hill. She rocks a badass power suit, she's running for POTUS, and can hold her own on a stage. But do you the other women on the Hill? Capitol, that is. Women who are making moves and breaking barriers, ceilings, and deal will the quiet sexism that still exists there? These are behind-the-scenes-females who wield a fair amount of power and work to drive their party's message. We're highlighting seven female staffers who . 

Kat Skiles is the digital director and senior advisor to Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Prior to joining Pelois's office in 2014, she was Press Secretary & Director of Online Strategy for the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she developed comprehensive outreach plans for Members of Congress that utilized the power of digital and traditional engagement strategies.  

Alexis Covey-Brandt serves as the floor director for returning House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) According to Politico she keeps a low profile outside of the Capitol, but is one of "the most recognizable and trusted aides for Democratic lawmakers during frenzied floor votes, at meetings of House leaders and in the behind-the-scenes machinations that determine which bills, large and small, make it to the floor."

Sharon Soderstrom is one of nine Republican female chiefs of staff in the Senate and is the top aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Reema Dodin serves as Floor Director to the Assistant Democratic Leader, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), where she runs the whip operation for the Senate Democratic leadership team. As Floor Director, she runs the whip operation for the Senate Democratic leadership team, and advises on Senate Floor strategy for the caucus.

Rebecca Tallent currently serves as Assistant to the Speaker for Policy, focusing on Judiciary and Homeland Security issues, specifically immigration reform.  She came to the Speaker’s office from the Bipartisan Policy Center where she served as the Director of Immigration policy and prior to her work at the BPC, served as Senator John McCain’s Chief of Staff. 

Kelly Ward serves as Executive Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Prior to serving as Executive Director, Kelly was the DCCC’s Political Director in 2012, where she oversaw the incumbent protection program and the Committee’s redistricting efforts, and the Regional Political Director for Incumbent Protection in 2010, working with more than 50 incumbent Members on their re-election efforts. 

Jo-Marie St. Martin Green serves as General Counsel and Chief of Legislative Operations for the Speaker.  She oversees all aspects of procedure for the House, the Republican Conference, and committees. She advises Boehner on filing lawsuits, like the one opposing President Obama's health care law. She's his ethics officer. And she's one of his top advisers.