Both gubernatorial campaigns have held events emphasizing women recently, and they have good reason for doing so. This is nothing new, of course. Here is a Washington Post ad placed by Doug Duncan's first County Executive campaign in 1994 listing his prominent female supporters. There are a lot of famous and soon-to-be famous names on this list. One of them appearing in the fourth column from left is none other than current GOP Lieutenant Governor candidate Mary Kane!
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Monday, October 11, 2010
Women for Doug Duncan, 1994
Women Dominate Maryland Primaries
Candidates and political consultants have known for a long time that women outvote men in Maryland elections. But data released by the State Board of Elections (SBE) on last month’s primaries show just how important that phenomenon is.
SBE’s 2010 election page does not include a turnout section yet, but its press room does have stats on election day and early voter turnout. One of SBE’s breakdowns lists primary turnout by gender. Here are the raw counts by county.
And here are the percentages of primary voters who were women.
In every county, women were a majority of primary voters. This is primarily due to female dominance of Democratic primaries, in which they accounted for 59% of voters. But women have near parity in the Republican Party too, where they accounted for 49% of voters.
One more fact stands out. Female vote percentages were highest in Maryland’s four largest jurisdictions. They are:
Baltimore City: 60.8%
Prince George’s: 59.3%
Montgomery: 56.0%
Baltimore County: 55.6%
These four jurisdictions accounted for 52% of all primary voters last month. And they accounted for 56% of all votes in the 2006 general election.
Meet the bosses of Free State politics, folks: Maryland women!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Trachtenberg Fails to Support Qualified Female Candidate – Again
Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg, who has built her political career as a former official of Maryland NOW and an advocate for women’s issues, has for the fifth time in a row failed to support a credible female candidate for office. Is this really how a self-proclaimed champion for women should behave?
Duchy Trachtenberg has a long history with NOW and as a women’s advocate, which was part of her claim to legitimacy as a candidate in 2002 and 2006. Just last week, she participated in a conference forum entitled “Women and the Politics of Possibilities, What Have We Made Possible, What Could We Dare to Do?” But since being elected to the County Council, she has failed to back no fewer than four qualified female candidates who have run for County Council positions or the state legislature.
1. Praisner Over Navarro
In the 2008 special election, Trachtenberg supported Don Praisner, who had never run for office before, over Board of Education President Nancy Navarro. Praisner won but passed away a year later.
2. Kramer Over Navarro
In the 2009 special election, Trachtenberg supported Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19) over Navarro and even appeared in his mailers praising him for his “bold and courageous leadership” on women’s issues. Her support came despite Kramer’s vote for a bill that would have allowed accused domestic abusers to expunge their court records. Kramer voted for that bill no less than three times – once in committee and twice on the floor. Kramer later co-sponsored the infamous “Hump or Dump” bill allowing spouses to rid themselves of their partners for not having sex. Navarro won the special election.
3. Berliner Over Floreen
Last year, when Nancy Floreen ran for Council President over Roger Berliner, Trachtenberg voted for Berliner and harshly condemned Floreen’s supporters. Floreen won the vote.
4. Berliner Over Hopkins
Trachtenberg has endorsed Berliner over challenger Ilaya Hopkins, who is supported by an all-star cast of women in her district.
5. Lierman Instead of Kelly
According to a Sunday press release, Trachtenberg is supporting Kyle Lierman – who is 23, fresh out of college and has no work experience other than campaigning for Barack Obama – instead of Ariana Kelly for the open District 16 Delegate seat. Kelly is the former Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland and has a LONG record of working for women’s groups. Kelly, as was Navarro, is backed by NARAL.
Some of the above decisions are quite reasonable. Berliner has been an ally of Trachtenberg’s on the council and he has a ton of endorsements. And plenty of people believed that Floreen’s leapfrog over then-Vice-President Berliner for the council presidency was an unwarranted break with tradition. But Trachtenberg’s opposition to Navarro was driven by her succession plan to be Council President. And Trachtenberg’s support for Lierman over Kelly is inexplicable for anyone who wants to encourage women to run for office. Trachtenberg is the only elected official in the county to have supported the male candidate over the qualified female candidate in every single one of these contests.
Furthermore, many outstanding female leaders are currently running for office without Trachtenberg’s support, including Council Members Valerie Ervin, Nancy Navarro and Nancy Floreen; Senator Nancy King (D-39); Delegates Susan Lee (D-16) and Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-18); Senator Jennie Forehand (D-17) and her opponent, former NARAL staffer Cheryl Kagan; and former MCEA President and District 19 Delegate candidate Bonnie Cullison. Those are just the candidates who have announced endorsements. We can find no record of Trachtenberg endorsing any other female candidates so far in 2010.
Happily, we predict that this unfortunate streak will soon come to an end. Because Duchy Trachtenberg is bound to discover the one female candidate who deserves her support.
Herself.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Democratic Women's PAC Holds Campaign Training
Following is their release.
Ten days until the training, and seats are limited! Register now for our intense and comprehensive campaign training for women candidates, potential candidates, elected officials, campaign staff, volunteers and activists.
Click here for more information and to sign up.
You can also email training@democraticwomenspac.org with any questions.
The curriculum addresses four primary themes: Fundraising, Message, Planning & Strategy, and New Media, including:
Campaign budget & finance planning
Fundraising: call time, events, donor research
Organizing your campaign
Self and opposition research
Netroots & online organizing
Elements of a campaign plan
Technical components: Organizing donors, volunteers & required financial filings
Press & Earned Media
Messaging
Paid media: TV/Mail/Radio
Field: Volunteer recruitment, targeting, GOTV
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009
Time: 9:00am – 5:15pm
Location: The Laborers’ Training Center, 3200 Wilkens Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21229
Cost: $50 per Person. Scholarships are available. See contact information below.
Please RSVP By November 1, 2009 at: www.democraticwomenspac.org
Or email training@democraticwomenspac.org with any questions or to request a sign-up form by mail.
Thank you to all our training partners:
Maryland Democratic Party & The Women’s Leadership Network
Progressive Maryland
American Federation of Teachers, Maryland
Laborers’ International Union Mid-Atlantic Region Organizing Coalition
Maryland State Educators’ Association
Teachers' Association of Baltimore County
Paid for by Democratic Women's PAC of Maryland.
Elizabeth S. Glenn, Treasurer
PO Box 6763
Towson, MD 21285
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Montgomery County’s Democratic Women
By Marc Korman.
Way back in December I wrote my first guest blog entry for MPW about all of the new young Democrats Montgomery County had sent to the state legislature. At the time, I received some criticism for “kissing up” to legislators, though I still contend the topic was worth discussing. At the risk of drawing criticism once again, I want to take a few brief paragraphs to acknowledge some of the amazing women involved in Montgomery County politics. I am compelled to post the following blog entry for two reasons.
First, there was some criticism in recent months about the decline in female legislators from Montgomery County. As a member of the Central Committee who voted to fill those vacancies, I have partial responsibility for that trend. Second, many active Democratic women I have spoken to feel that Senator Obama’s victory in the presidential primary is a defeat for all women and that they are not appreciated or respected by their male Democratic peers.
Setting aside the validity of both of these points, as each could be the subject of multiple blog entries, I want to take a few moments to acknowledge some of the women I have gotten to know in Montgomery County Democratic politics and tell you about them. By naming names, I run the risk of offending those who are not on the list, so let me assure you that the list is not exhaustive and is just a sample of the many talented women supporting the Democratic Party in Montgomery County. I also will not pretend that the blog entry below is the result of objective analysis. I have met everyone discussed below and consider many of them friends, mentors, or both.
The list begins with our newest Member of Congress, Donna Edwards. Regardless of whether you supported her in any of her Congressional campaigns, Congresswoman Edwards’ defeat of an incumbent Congressman is a remarkable feat. I believe it is the result of both her organizational talents, and her ability to inspire people to work for better leadership in Washington. At the same time, one of the leaders of the campaign Congresswoman Edwards beat also deserves special recognition. Lori Sherwood, who joined Congressman Wynn’s campaign shortly after he won the 2006 Democratic primary, led his campaign effort in Montgomery County. For the time she worked for him, Lori made Congressman Wynn a better representative of his portion of the county by making him a more present and responsive Congressman. She is representative of the many outstanding women who worked for candidates in the 4th Congressional district.
Congressman Chris Van Hollen is, as you know, not a woman. But whenever the Congressman cannot attend an event, he is almost always represented by one of five women: Joan Kleinman, Karen McManus, Char Rosnick, Ann Humphrey, and from his campaign, Michelle Widman. Each of them has the difficult job of filling the void when Congressman Van Hollen cannot be present to give a speech or participate in an event. Each is also active in local politics in their own right. I know there are other capable women who work for Congressman Chris Van Hollen I have not had the chance to meet.
In Annapolis, Montgomery County has two capable women legislators named Anne Kaiser and Heather Mizeur. Delegate Kaiser showed great personal courage and leadership several years ago when outing herself during a hearing on gay marriage. Delegate Mizeur has only been in Annapolis since the 2006 election, but has already established herself as a national leader on healthcare issues with the passage of legislation allowing parents’ insurance to cover children up to age 25 and a new law improving uninsured children’s access to assistance they already qualify for. Heather Mizeur also serves on the Democratic National Committee for Maryland. And speaking of the DNC, Montgomery County is also home to DNC Vice Chair Susie Turnbull who travels the country tirelessly in her efforts to support Democratic candidates, but always finds time to attend and host events for local Democrats as well. Other hardworking women legislators from Montgomery County are Karen Montgomery, Rona Kramer, Kathleen Dumais, Susan Lee, Jennie Forehand, Ana Sol Gutierrez, Sheila Hixson, and Nancy King. At the County Council level, we have Duchy Trachtenberg, Nancy Floreen, and Valerie Ervin. Each of these women deserves their own blog entry.
Montgomery County is also lucky to have many former female legislators still actively working for the Democratic Party. One example is Esther Gelman, who served on the Montgomery County Council from 1974 to 1987 and was the first female Council President. Her service continues today with her regular attendance at Democratic events, her mentorship of many young activists, and most recently her service on the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee’s Ballot Questions Committee.
Our state and county Young Democrats are also led by two capable young women. Jennifer Kramer is the president of the Young Democrats of Maryland (YDM). She is in her second term as president and is leading YDM’s effort to support Frank Kravotil in Maryland’s 1st Congressional district. She has also greatly improved Maryland’s reputation with the national Young Democrats of America organization. In Montgomery County, the Young Democrats (MCYD), an organization to which I belong, are led by Sarah Holstine. Just this past weekend, Sarah and MCYD provided volunteers for the Democratic Unity Picnic in Gaithersburg. MCYD also registered approximately 650 voters before the February primary, focusing on 17 year olds who would be 18 before the general election. That effort was headed by Young Democrat Lisa Kaneff.
At the weekend’s unity picnic, Peter Franchot joked that the person who got the most applause was Karen Britto, the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee Chairwoman. While the applause Karen received on Saturday was loud, she does not always receive such a great reception, as readers of MPW know. But during her years leading the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, we have turned the County almost entirely blue and had many other great political successes, as I recently discussed in another post. The Democrats have also stayed largely united, which does not always happen when political parties find success. Karen Britto deserves a lot of credit for these achievements. Karen is joined on the Central Committee by eleven other hard working women who do not get nearly the recognition they deserve for their continuing work in staffing polls, raising money, and otherwise supporting Democrats. They are Marie Wallace, Tracy Terrell, Venattia Vann, Elly Shaw-Belblidia, Karen Czapansky, Sandy Raymond, Vivian Malloy, Aruna Miller, Beth Siniawsky, Vilma White, and Lindsey Brewer. Again, I am a member of MCDCC and admit I may have a little bias when it comes to my colleagues.
The list above is in no way exhaustive. But it does give some indication of the depth and breadth of female Democratic talent our County has. I would encourage readers to add more names in the comments to help me publicly acknowledge some of our great Montgomery County women Democrats, and thank them for all they do and will do as we work to elect a new president and keep Maryland blue.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Gender in the Montgomery State Legislative Delegation
| District | Men | Women |
| 14 | 1 | 3 |
| 15 | 3 | 1 |
| 16 | 3 | 1 |
| 17 | 3 | 1 |
| 18 | 3 | 1 |
| 19 | 4 | 0 |
| 20 | 2 | 2 |
| 39 | 3 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 22 | 10 |
The table above shows the share of women in the Montgomery delegation by district. The Gazette reported on the decline in the number of women in the General Assembly:
Maryland boasted the highest percentage of female legislators in the country in 2005 and 2006, when 67 of the 188 state lawmakers were women, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The state now ranks 8th, with 59 women in the General Assembly.Much of the decline has occurred in Montgomery. In District 15, Republican Jean Cryor was defeated by Democrat Craig Rice in the 2006 general election. District 16's Marilyn Goldwater retired and Bill Frick was appointed to the vacancy.
District 18 has gone from three to one female legislators due to the retirement of Sen. Sharon Grosfeld and the death of Del. Jane Lawton. Rich Madaleno won the seat vacated by Sen. Grosfeld in 2006; Al Carr was appointed to fill the vacancy in the House.
In District 19, Dels. Adrienne Mandel and Carol Petzold competed unsuccessfully for the open Senate seat in 2006. They were defeated by Michael Lenett; Petzold and Mandel were replaced in the House by Ben Kramer and Roger Manno.
District 20 saw Sen. Ida Ruben defeated by Jamie Raskin; however, Heather Mizeur won a seat in the House leaving the District 20 delegation evenly split between men and women. In District 39, Del Nancy King was elevated to the Senate upon the retirement of P.J. Hogan. She was replaced in the House by Kirill Reznick.
In sum, there has been a net decline of six women in the Montgomery delegation of 32 members of the general assembly since the end of the last General Assembly in 2006. The net losses occurred in just four of the eight legislative districts: Districts 15, 16, 18, and 19. Districts 18 and 19 experienced a net lost of two women with District 19 becoming the only all-male delegation from Montgomery.
Of course, the decline in women did not result in a total loss for diversity. African Americans filled two of six seats previously held by women in Districts 16 and 18. The first openly gay member of the House moved up to the Senate in District 18.
Still, I think it is safe to say that the trend is opposite of what one might have expected in Montgomery County. We've gone from a delegation evenly split between men and women to one where women compose just 31 percent of the delegation.
The share of women in the General Assembly will decline further if the Prince George's Central Committee chooses a man for the vacancy caused by the recent death of Sen. Gwendolyn Britt. Del. Jolene Ivey is a candidate for the seat though one wonders whether the goal of promoting her husband's candidacy for County Executive in 2010--as well as the presence of several serious male candidates--may slow down her own advancement.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The Political Power of Black Women
Tom Schaller has an interesting column in the Baltimore Sun arguing that black women may well determine who determines the Democratic presidential nomination. Since African Americans vote overwhelmingly Democratic, the black share of the Democratic primary vote is usually higher than the black share of the overall electorate. And black women make up an outsized chunk of the black vote:
Because African-American men not only are fewer in number but also register and vote at much lower rates, black women cast almost three of every five of these votes - 59 percent, to be precise. White women also outnumber, out-register and outvote white men, but the disparity is smaller (53 percent to 47 percent).Two factors help explain why black women outvote black men and a stronger rate than white women outvote white men. Education is the strongest predictor of who votes. Unlike among whites, women are better educated than men in the African-American population. Felon disfranchisement also plays a role. Several states with sizeable black populations disfranchise people with felony convictions. A disproportionate share of blacks, especially black men, have lost their voting rights as a result.
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