The Problem:
Washington State has a proud history of electing women to the Legislature. For years Washington set the standard with the highest percentage of women lawmakers in the country. Over the past decade our state has been losing ground in electing progressive women to the State Legislature. In 1998 – 2002 more than 40 percent of the Washington legislators were women, the highest percentage
in the history of the country. But by 2012, just 30 percent of state legislators were women. And while in 2002, women made up two-thirds of the Senate Democratic Caucus with 18 members, now there are only ten women members in that caucus. An additional concern is the successful recruitment and election of staunchly conservative Republican women. In 2012, three conservative Republican women joined the state Senate and three more Republican women entered the state House. Unfortunately over the past decade, several strong progressive women legislative leaders have left office, while fewer progressive women are being recruited, trained and elected to serve. We want to build a new wave of women candidates and change the political landscape for all women. Why It Matters:
The State Legislature determines the priorities for our state budget. Without the voice of progressive women we are losing the fight to ensure appropriate funding for what are the largest and most significant expenditures in our state—education, health and human services. These investments are essential to the health and wellbeing of our families and the long-term economic vitality of our state. These are not “women’s issues” but they have often been the issues that attract women to run. The steep decline in the number of progressive women serving in the State Legislature means we are losing champions and mentors. We don’t have the votes we need to bring forward and pass common-sense legislative initiatives that benefit women and families. Issues such as reproductive rights, child care, pay equity and paid family leave have stalled. Of even deeper concern are the attacks on basic services and rights. Washington’s reputation as a national leader on issues such as abortion rights, environmental health, social justice and health care is threatened. State legislatures are also a natural training ground and traditional “stepping stone” for a career in political leadership. U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell both served in the State Legislature in the 1990’s. Conservative female legislators now use that same path to Congress from our state legislature; indeed, two of our three Congresswomen are staunch conservatives. The Solution:
The Win With Women PAC team intends to turn around the decline in progressive women’s political leadership in Washington state by bringing a new voice and new money into the political community. We understand how the political system works. We have created a Win With Women PAC led by a dedicated board of professional women who have significant political experience. Our first goal is to raise a large amount of money dedicated solely to supporting progressive women candidates who are committed to reproductive choice, equal rights, pay equity, paid family leave and public education. Phase One will involve the 2014 campaign cycle during which we will raise $100K to $200K in donations to target two to three key legislative races. The WWW PAC will recruit and support women candidates to change the tide. Progressive women candidates can and will change the political conversation. We plan to bring the resources necessary to get women elected and support them as they serve. We will work with other organizations to ensure we are not duplicating efforts. By focusing on a small number of races, and making gender and women’s issues a core element of the contests, we intend to elevate the issues and begin rebuilding the pipeline of women political leaders. Phase Two will begin immediately after the 2014 elections. We will look for ways to leverage our 2014 achievements and use the opportunity of the potential 2016 candidacy of Hillary Clinton. A progressive woman at the top of the ticket and success at the state level could inspire an entire generation of new women political leaders. We need to be ready and able to support them. Our Win With Women PAC will be the vehicle to do that. We intend to create a new wave of women leaders who will change the political landscape for all women. We Want Women to join WWW for our future.
