https://www.politico.com/newsletters/women-rule/2024/08/23/will-kamala-harris-rise-inspire-other-women-to-join-politics-00176147?nname=women-rule&nid=00000169-5991-d01a-a169-5d9f0cc10001&nrid=0000016c-abfe-d6fb-a96e-fffe3afa0000&nlid=2485581

https://www.citybiz.co/article/603783/the-fulcrum-democracy-forum-meets-cynthia-richie-terrell-the-founder-executive-director-of-representwomen/

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/woman-governor-pennsylvania-harris-trump-hannah-penn-20241002.html

Around the globe, we must remain steadfast in advocating for systems-wide reforms that support women — from improving healthcare access, to increasing access to capital, to electing more women leaders. The United States ranks 78th on the IPU’s list tracking women’s parliamentary representation and more importantly 28th among OECD nations, because we have not invested in systemic reforms to elect women like our neighbors in Mexico and Canada. I am so thankful to have spent much of last week connecting with the almost 200 daily attendees at our fourth annual Democracy Solutions Summit, brainstorming actionable solutions to the barriers surrounding women’s representation in the United States. 

RepresentWomen’s International Dashboard

Some milestones this week for women’s representation include Janet Reno’s confirmation as the first woman U.S. Attorney General in 1993 and the first-ever Girl Scouts meeting in Savannah, GA. Happy birthday to Winsome Earle Sears, the first Black woman elected to statewide office in VA (after a ranked choice voting primary), Michele McCrary, RepresentWomen’s Operations Director, Olympian Simone Biles, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Ariel Hill Davis, co-founder of Republican Women for Progress. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, painted by Melanie Humble

This week’s Weekend Reading covers Adrienne Adams mayoral bid,  Senator Jeanne Shaheen announces retirement, IDEA’s “Democracy for All campaign”, the link between masculinity and increasing global conflict, the impact of 2024’s down-ballot races on women’s representation, an analysis of the SAVE Act, the link between masculinity and increasing global conflict, and Ruth Marcus steps down from The Washington Post in response to editorial decisions and new policies that stifle free speech at The Post. 

Adrienne Adams Launches Mayoral Bid

Source: Yahoo News

Recently, Adrienne Adams launched her campaign for New York City’s Mayoral race, positioning herself as an alternative to Mayor Eric Adams and former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the ranked choice voting primary. Her campaign seeks to galvanize Black female voters, a key Democratic voting bloc, by emphasizing her integrity, competence, and commitment to issues like maternal health, education, and community services.

Maya King and Jeffery C. Mays writes for The New York Times:

But many of her supporters see her candidacy as something else: an opportunity for Democrats to elect a qualified Black woman to lead the country’s largest city, less than a year after the bruising loss of Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to lead a major party presidential ticket.

Wearing a pink pantsuit, Ms. Adams entered to cheers at the Rochdale Village Shopping Center in southeast Queens and danced with supporters as “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross played.

“No drama, no scandal, no nonsense, just competence and integrity,” Ms. Adams said at the rally, summing up her candidacy.

Check out our Breaking Barriers for Black Women in Politics brief for more information on how system changes can help Black women in politics.

Trailblazing U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen Won’t Seek Re-election in 2026

Source:Francis Chung/POLITICO

Jeanne Shaheen, the three-term U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, has announced she will not seek reelection in 2026. Shaheen’s trailblazing career includes being New Hampshire’s first woman governor, the first woman to be both a governor and U.S. Senator, and the first woman to lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This excerpt from her office’s announcement of her decision highlights what I see as reflective of women’s leadership:

A former teacher and small business owner, who also served in the New Hampshire State Senate, Shaheen set the state on a new course as Governor. She passed the largest expansion of public kindergarten as well as historic investments in public schools, job training and the state University System. Shaheen established a new health insurance program for kids and cracked down on predatory junk health insurance plans, leading New Hampshire to one of highest rates of individuals with health insurance coverage in America. To bring down electric rates, increase competition and reduce carbon emissions, she took on the big utility companies. Shaheen was the first New Hampshire Governor to lead international trade missions, increasing exports, strengthening New Hampshire’s tourism industry and encouraging new business and job growth.

She also expanded the rights of women and the LGBTQ community, with repeals of a century-old abortion ban and a ban on LGBT parents fostering or adopting children, as well as new bipartisan legislation that expanded insurance coverage for contraception and strengthened equal pay protections. In the U.S. Senate Shaheen built a reputation, and a record, of working across the aisle, repeatedly helping to author and pass landmark legislation.

2026 elections update: Limited Chances for Women Underscore Need for Reform

With Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tina Smith (D- MN)  not seeking re-election, women will lose two women U.S. Senators after the 2026 elections.  Those open seats are among only seven Senate races not seen as safe for one party in the 2026 cycle, and with only two other open seats so far in Kentucky and Michigan. With Maine’s Susan Collins the top target for Democrats in 2026, women may have trouble maintaining their 26 Senate seats. Women have more opportunities in governor’s races, including both New Jersey and Virginia this year, but few openings in U.S. House races, where at this early point in the cycle, the Cook Political Report only identifies 18 tossup seats out of 435. The New York Times recently lifted up the impact of our plurality, winner-take-all voting rules on “The death of competition in American politics.” Here’s an excerpt that underscores why RepresentWomen sees the model of elections in the Fair Representation Act and expansion of Alaska’s reform model for Senate races essential for creating space for real voter choice and change, including reflective representation of women:

Michael Podhorzer, a strategist and the former political director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., recently analyzed election data to determine how many state legislative primaries last year were competitive and “meaningful” — decided by 10 percentage points or fewer, and with the winner prevailing in the general election. He found that in the 35 states that held elections for both state legislative chambers last year, just 287 of more than 4,600 primaries met that definition.

That leaves many voters without real representation: The districts that did not have meaningful primaries or general elections last year have roughly 158 million citizens, Mr. Podhorzer said, while those with meaningful primaries have only about 10 million. Experts are quick to point out that beyond gerrymandering, the political “sorting” of like-minded voters moving into the same communities has exacerbated the lack of competition.

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance Promotes “Democracy for All” Campaign

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that supports democracy worldwide. This year, it has launched its Democracy for All campaign has a 2025 advocacy focus on gender and inclusion. Here is a description of the program:

When democracies face a loss of trust and global headwinds, they can only regain initiative by ensuring that all ethnicities, genders, and minority groups are included in political processes. In 2025, International IDEA is focusing a global advocacy campaign on “Democracy for All”, promoting the political representation and democratic rights of historically excluded groups, The campaign will focus on the institute’s initiatives with women, LGBTQ+ people, youth, ethnicity and Indigenous Peoples, migrants, displaced persons, and persons with disabilities, especially in the Global South, leveraging our experience both in grassroots communities as well as expertise in research and data analytics.

Hyper-Masculinity in Politics Fuels Global Conflict: Why Diverse Leadership Matters

The hyper-masculinity in politics is pushing the world closer towards global conflict. The majority of heads of state are men, meaning that they lead the decisions on international relations and defense. Diverse perspectives are critical at every level of government, but especially when it comes to global conflict resolution. Women are more likely to negotiate, reach across party lines, and work together to find solutions that work for everyone.  

Elaine Loughlin for the Irish Examiner writes: 

As the world lurches from one crisis to another on an almost daily basis, it is men who are calling the shots on possible peace deals, trade tariffs and a ramping up of defence capabilities and security spending.

Where are all the women? Of course she would say that.

But international evidence shows that women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution can improve outcomes before, during, and after war.

Women bring a different perspective and different approach, a notable example of this was the late Mo Mowlam who became known for throwing off her cancer wig onto the table during tense negotiations, which eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement.

Historic Wins for Women Define 2024 Down-Ballot Races

The November 2024 election did not result in the historic first of a woman president, but it marked significant milestones in down-ballot races. Maryland elected Angela Alsobrooks as its first Black woman senator, and Delaware elected Lisa Blunt Rochester, making history as the first time two Black women serve in the U.S. Senate simultaneously. Other historic wins included Janelle Bynum as Oregon’s first Black member of Congress and Patty Kim as Pennsylvania’s first Asian American state senator.

A notable statewide election this year is the Virginia gubernatorial race, which is set to elect Virginia’s first woman governor, with two women as frontrunners:

Bev-Freda Jackson writes for Gender On the Ballot: 

The firsts noted in the US Senate, speaks to the weight of down ballot voting and how critical, voices and participating in the democratic process of voting truly is. Down ballot voting historically has been overlooked, often with the spotlight on national races as opposed to local races. Localized efforts have significant impact on jurisdictions and regions, from equitable resource allocation among localities as it related to schools, to public works and residential and housing zoning, as well as community amenities and policy issues on a national scale such as climate justice, criminal justice and reproductive rights. What we often do not realize is that down ballot candidates can often become “up ballot” candidates and holding public officials accountable at every level is the intention of a healthy, thriving democracy

SAVE Act Proposals Could Disenfranchise Millions of Women 

Source: Center for American Progress

Republicans have introduced the SAVE Act in Congress for the second year. This legislation has been billed to prevent noncitizens from voting in U.S. elections; in reality, it could disenfranchise 21.3 million people. This legislation would require all individuals to provide proof of citizenship in person when registering to vote and require their legal name to match the name on a birth certificate or passport. This would prevent millions of women from voting if they have not updated legal documentation of their name change – see this Partner Toolkit from our friends at FairVote on the Act.

Kathleen Walsh writes in Glamour: 

In fact, the bill would impact millions of eligible voters, including the estimated 21.3 million Americans who do not have ready access to a birth certificate or passport, as well as anyone who relies on voting by mail. Early research indicates that it would disproportionately impact voters of color and young voters.

But it would also have a direct impact on anyone whose legal name does not match the name on their birth certificate or passport, such as the 79% of heterosexual married women, per Pew Research, who take their spouse’s last name. “If a married woman hasn’t paid $130 to update her passport—assuming she has one, which only about half of Americans do—she may not be able to vote in the next election if the SAVE Act becomes law,” Weiser says.

Washington Post Loses a Leading Voice for Women

Ruth Marcus, a long-time columnist and former deputy editorial page editor of The Washington Post who brought a cogent eye toward American politics, has resigned following The Washington Post publisher killing one of her columns based on its content. Marcus in the New Yorker details her decades-long history with The Post and the deteriorating environment on the editorial page as its owner Jeff Bezos curried favor with Donald Trump.

It’s an important read and I feel deeply for good friends who remain writing for the Post. As a fellow knitting enthusiast, I will lift up this 2017 column by Marcus.

There is a famous essay by George Orwell titled “Why I Write.” I’m no Orwell, but I’ve always wanted to write one called “Why I Knit.” I’ve had this idea stashed away for a while, like a skein of yarn saved for the right moment. I’d get to it, I figured, perhaps after a spate of Very Serious Columns. I was a bit sheepish – no yarn pun intended – about alighting on such a frilly, girly topic.

I’m pretty sure Walter Lippmann did not knit. I’m definitely sure that Walter Lippmann did not write about knitting. But I am, defiantly, out of the knitting closet, thanks to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Because the Very Serious people at the U.S. Olympic Committee – to wit, their Very Serious lawyers – have seriously dissed knitting, and knitters. This will not stand….

In any event, the USOC’s dismissive tone, well, needled the knitters. The Ravelry community, which renamed the event the Ravellenic Games, received not one apology, but two. The USOC regretted its “use of insensitive terms.” Don’t mess with people armed with pointy needles and the Internet.

Hat I knit this winter in the early stages….

Hat I knit for Tyler Fisher’s son this winter 🫐

The Faces of Leadership in the Democracy Reform Movement

Leaders in the democracy reform ecosystem

Eileen Reavey, new CEO of Rank the Vote, shared this terrific graphic of the leaders of state ranked choice voting orgs – see the full list with contact information. Along with these state leaders, it’s great to see women at the helm of the leading democracy reform organizations including Eileen – mentioned above, Meredith Sumpter CEO of FairVote, Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno brand new CEO of RepresentUS, Rosemary Blizzard CEO of Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, Maria Perez & Grace Ramsey of Democracy Rising, and me, too!

Thank you, 

Cynthia Richie Terrell

P.S. I picked the first daffodils blooming in my garden this week!

Day One: Laboratories of Democracy: Policy Solutions in Local Government

Day One of the Democracy Solutions Summit emphasized the power of local government. As Vote Run Lead’s CEO and Founder Erin Vilardi said in her opening remarks, “I want to make sure we all remember that democracy is an evolution, not a destination.” While the extent of the impact of local offices may be small, the communities it does reach are affected immensely. That is why it is vital that women are on the frontlines of democracy’s evolution via local office. Barriers for women in politics persist, and our fantastic speakers shed light on the solutions to address the barriers.

“Getting more women into positions of power, getting more women into government is both an indicator of the health of our democracy, and it is the means to maintain a healthy democracy.”

- Erin Vilardi

Vote Run Lead’s Founder and CEO

“The thing that they think keeps them from running for office is probably the thing that makes them most qualified to run for office… So just don't allow the noise of who you think, what you think keeps you from running because you're probably the ideal candidate.”  

- Tamaya Dennard

RepresentWomen’s State Partnerships Manager

“People understood that having more choice means they have more voice.”                                                              

- Candace Avalos

Portland City Councilmember

“For the longest time, we have 51 seats in the council, and there was no more than like 12 women in the council, and all those years that you know, been this great city. It's unimaginable that it took till 2021. How ironic or coincidental does that happen the same year that we implement ranked choice? It's not a coincidence. ”                       

- Ebonie Simpson

Executive Director of The New Majority NYC 

Day Two: Effective State-Level Solutions

Day Two highlighted the importance of expanding democracy at the state level. Speakers discussed solutions such as state voting rights acts, fair legislative pay, and using campaign funds for childcare that can create sustainable leadership opportunities for everyone. Here are some highlights:

“We know that as more women are running for office, which is such an important piece of the puzzle. We also need to reform our system so that they're not consistently facing barriers throughout their time in office.”

- Alissa Bombardier Shaw

RepresentWomen’s Operations and Development Manager

“Over the last 20 years. The intentional changes made in Mexico and the adoption of gender quotas have led to a positive increase in women's representation at all levels of government.”

- Fatma Tawfik

RepresentWomen’s International Research Manager

“Local solutions matter; when state voting rights acts succeed, it's because they are built in partnership with the communities they're meant to serve. And when that's done right, you don't just create better policy, you create a stronger, more representative democracy.”

- Candice Batitse

 Campaign Strategist and Senior Political Participation Organizer at the Legal Defense Fund,

“Defend democracy, not people who are trying to hold on to power.” 

- Michelle Whittaker

Ranked Choice Voting Maryland’s Executive Director 

“Ranked choice voting is a solution that doesn't fix everything, but is a heck of a start for actually fundamentally shifting power in our political system so that voters can actually have a say.” 

Katie Fahey

- The People’s Co-Founder and Executive Director

“Higher pay can help to ensure women in marginalized communities can participate fully in governance and moreover, competitive salaries are necessary to attract and retain qualified individuals who reflect the diversity of their communities. So legislators should be compensated fairly for their time and their expertise and also just the demands of their job.”

- Marvelous Maeze

RepresentWomen’s U.S. Research Manager

Day Three Day 3: From Peak to Plateau: Building Women’s Political Power in Congress

Day three of the Democracy Solutions Summit was all about building women’s political power in Congress at the national level. Our federal government, from the officials we elect to the programs we depend on, are rapidly changing, and this was a space where experts came together to brainstorm bipartisan solutions to address these challenges. Some highlights from the day include: 

“Women, as we all know, make up over half of our population. And yet we hold less than a third of Congressional seats…When women aren't at the table, as you all know, we lose perspectives vital to tackling our nation's most pressing challenges.”

-Rina Shah

Strategic Consultant, Media Commentator, and Entrepreneur; RepresentWomen Board Member

“So in addition to all of the complexities of administering [elections], these incredible public servants are also charged with the tremendous responsibility of securing that process. And while elections may be political, election security is not. Election security is national security.”

- Cait Conley

Chief Growth Officer, Hidden Level, former Senior Advisor to the Director at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

“These are very simple structural changes that we must make [to get more moms into elected office]…Most people don't realize we have more millionaires in Congress than moms. Only 6.8% of our Congress members are moms of minor children. So we don't have people in office who are actually thinking about these things.”

- Liuba Grechen Shirley

Founder & CEO of Vote Mama

“So, there are two components to the Fair Representation Act. It would institute ranked-choice voting for Senate races and proportional ranked choice voting for House races. And that proportional representation element of it is really important to get that responsive, accountable governance.”

 - Meredith Sumpter

President & CEO of FairVote

“On a practical level. If you want to make lasting change, you will always have the other side of the aisle on board.”

- Betsy Wright Hawkings

Managing Partner, Article 1 Advisors, LLC

The UK Models How Transparency Can Drive Toward Parity

Here’s an essential analysis published last month by our friends at the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) in the United Kingdom, which could be adapted for use in the United States to ensure greater transparency on the candidate selection process:

“How many women stand for election every year? It’s hard to tell. That’s because right now, parties don’t have to publish information on the diversity of their candidates. However, last month, the Minister for Women and Equalities, Annaliese Dodds MP, announced that the government would finally begin the process of enacting Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010. This is a major step forward for diversity in politics and a huge win for the ERS – we have been campaigning alongside Centenary Action to push for change since 2018. But what exactly is Section 106, and why is it important? Let’s break it down.

Enacting Section 106 would require political parties to publish diversity data on the people who put themselves forward as candidates for elections to the House of Commons, Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. Diversity data is information about candidates’ characteristics, including their gender identity. Despite the legislation for this already being written back in 2010, it’s now, after 15 years of inactivity, that this government is finally taking action….

Publishing data drives transparency, which in turn fuels change. We’ve seen this approach work before – gender pay gap reporting, introduced in 2017,  was devised with this rationale in mind, and has led to greater awareness and steps toward pay equality. Section 106 could do the same for political diversity. By making the data transparent, parties can truly be held to account. If parties are forced to make this information public, they can no longer overlook representation gaps without scrutiny.

Election News - Women Advance in Key Local Elections

Angela Alsobrooks, painted by Melanie Humble

The United States will have a string of major local elections in 2025. Women had a strong start on March 4th. In Maryland’s Prince George’s County, Angela Alsbrooks’ election to the U.S. Senate last year created a vacancy for county executive. The Democratic primary was decisive, and State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy won by 22 percentage points over two men, former Executive Rushern Baker and Count Councilor Calvin Hawking. The general election is on June 3rd. Meanwhile, in St. Louis’ nonpartisan system, the primary in the mayoral race narrowed the field to two: incumbent Tishaura Jones faces an uphill battle in the April 8th general election against Alderwoman Cara Spencer in a repeat of the mayoral runoff they had in 2021.

Looking ahead, the June mayoral primary in New York City with ranked-choice voting will likely be the year’s most prominent election. In the wake of former governor Andrew Cuomo entering the Democratic primary, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams entered the race this week. No relation to controversial incumbent Eric Adams, New York City’s first-ever African American speaker, is expected to be a major contender.

ABA Report: What We Know About Ranked Choice Voting, Updated for 2025
The American Bar Association task force on American Democracy this week released a new paper by University of Iowa’s Caroline Tolbert and Expand Democracy's Eveline Dowling on what scholarship is finding about ranked choice voting. Here’s an excerpt.

“New research has examined RCV’s effects on voters (i.e., public opinion, voter behavior, and turnout), candidates, and political campaigns. This report reviews the recent literature published in peer-reviewed academic journals and books and answers common questions about RCV, addressing its efficacy and viability as a reform.

In sum, the research provides evidence that RCV is an improvement over plurality voting with clear benefits in terms of representation, campaign quality, mobilization, and turnout. Research shows that RCV encourages greater consensus building as well as more civil political campaigns. The research currently has more marginal or difficult-to-test effects in other areas, such as the diversity of candidates running for office. There are some mixed results from the published studies, in part due to authors emphasizing either the glass as half full or half empty, often based on similar data sources. As Drutman and Strano reported in 2021, “the research should also allay fears that RCV is too confusing or discriminatory: voters understand RCV, and learn to like it, too, particularly with experience.” That remains true today.”

Rob Richie and Eveline Dowling Launch Expand Democracy -- and a Democracy Builder Quiz

In addition to her ABA release, Eveline Dowling joined with my husband, Rob Richie,, to launch Expand Democracy, which will be an ongoing partner for RepresentWomen and others seeking a more representative, participatory, and accountable government. I was pleased to see that the Expand Democracy Board is majority women and chaired by former FairVote stalwart Lan Nguyen. Here’s an excerpt from Rob’s announcement on the Expand Democracy substack.

“Eveline and I do not intend to duplicate or supplant any existing organization. What will make us successful is helping others be successful. Our most impactful projects will be ones, where Expand Democracy’s role, ends as others begin. We seek to catalyze consideration of promising, but generally overlooked ideas and strategies - often ones involving thinking outside the box with bold, creative approaches….

Looking forward, we will connect people with ideas that deserve more attention, with regular gatherings to showcase what may be next for our democracy. We’ll bring stakeholders together for a time-bound series of meetings to resolve thorny puzzles that could be a barrier to change - whether it’s the best wording for pro-democracy constitutional amendments or legal strategies to keep promising ideas on track. We’ll work with retired election officials ready to offer advice on how to make good ideas in theory workable in practice. Eveline and I will regularly seize opportunities to write and speak about democracy, and work constructively with academic scholars as they study and write about electoral reform.”

Eveline Dowling this week wrote a piece explaining  Expand Democracy “Democracy Builder Quiz.” Take the quick and find out if you’re an “innovator,” “connector,” “includer,” “mobilizer,” “strategist,” or “guardian!”

Oscars feature categories for women

Gender quotas are common in international elections but are often seen as unlikely in the United States. What has worked is intentionality – whether it be the terrific organizations doing candidate training and post-election support for women starting to climb the electoral ladder, or funding groups like EMILY’s List. I take heart from Americans’ embrace of gender differences in key areas of non-political life, whether it be overwhelming support for women’s athletics to the entertainment industry creating achievement categories for women.

In this year’s Oscars, Anora’s Mikey Madison won Best Actress over the oddsmakers’ favorite Demi Moore. At the same time, Zoe Saldaña earned her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Pérez. Congratulations to both of them! 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Patricia Arquette winning the Best Actress Oscar for Boyhood. Arquette’s acceptance speech is one of my favorite Oscar moments, featuring this quote: “To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s time to have wage equality once and for all. And equal rights for women in the United States of America.”

Mimosa flowers are given to women in many countries to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Happy International Women’s Day,

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P.S. Many thanks to all our amazing speakers at the 2025 Democracy Solutions Summit which would not be possible without support from donors. If you appreciated this event, please consider donating to support data-driven solutions to increase women's representation and build women’s political power.

Female Body Politic Podcast

I so enjoyed my conversation with Lorissa Rinehart, author of a soon to be published book on Jeannette Rankin, on her podcast The Female Body Politic. It was a terrific opportunity to talk about the state of our democracy, the value of electing more women, the Quaker beliefs that ground my belief in equality, & the legacy of Jeannette Rankin who was the first woman elected to Congress in 1916!

Women Leaders to Celebrate This Week

Marian Anderson, painted by Melanie Humble

Women leaders to celebrate this week include WA state rep Liz Berry, Emerge president A’Shanti Gholar, African American opera singer Marian Anderson (whose concert my mother and her family attended at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1929), and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, who all have birthdays! And notable milestones include the anniversary of the swearing-in of Frances Perkins as the nation’s first woman cabinet secretary in 1933, the appointment of Loretta Lynch as U.S. Attorney General in 2015, and the release of Dr. Jennifer Piscopo’s book The Impact of Gender Quotas in 2012.

Governor and U.S. Senate Roundup

Peggy Flanagan, painted by Melanie Humble

New Jersey will have primaries for an open seat race for governor on June 10th. Even with a chance to elect only its second governor in history and first since Christie Todd Whitman in 1996, only one of ten announced major party candidates is a woman, Democratic congresswoman Mikie Sherrill. The six-candidate Democratic primary is a free-for-all, with Sherrill topping a fractured field with an average of 13% in January polling. Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop is running as a reformer, including lifting up ranked choice voting or such contests. The only other governor race this year is in Virginia, which is expected to have an historic all-women general election between former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D) and Lt. Governor Winsome Sears (R); Spanberger leads by six points in recent polling averages.

With Mitch McConnell's retirement after more than four decades in office, Kentucky voters next year will have a rare opportunity to elect their first woman Senator in history. One potential candidate is former UN Ambassador Kelly Craft, who was the only woman in a 12-candidate Republican primary for governor in 2023. In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz won’t run for the open seat being vacated by Senator Tina Smith, The Hill reports that women candidates may include Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and Congresswomen Angie Craig and Ilhan Omar.

Women Lose Seats in German Elections, With Growing Gender Gap Between Left and Right

Markus Söder wrote on Instagram: ‘We’re ready for political change in Germany.’ Photograph: Markus Söder/Instagram

On February 22, Germany elected a new coalition government, almost certainly to be headed by Christian Democratic Party leader Friedric Merz, in coalition with the Social Democratic Party headed by outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz. Women lost ground in parliament, dropping from 35% to 32.4% in the wake of structural changes reducing women’s opportunities. A photo of Merz’s all-male negotiating team led to this coverage in the Guardian newspaper:

“The picture attracted a slew of derision. “Get us a coffee, won’t you, sweetie?” went an imaginary caption. “Did you hide the women under the table?” asked an Instagram user. “Where are the women, in the kitchen?” asked another. “There are more doors than women in this picture,” observed a third. The Greens co-leader Franziska Brantner remarked tartly: “The new Syrian government is probably more diverse than the Union’s negotiating team,” she told the news agency DPA. Her predecessor as party chief, Ricarda Lang, shared the picture, sarcastically echoing previous comments by Merz: “Quotas primarily hurt women themselves.” Others asked why the CSU’s Dorothee Bär, one of the few women deemed likely to join Merz’s cabinet, had not been included after winning an absolute majority in her constituency, the strongest result in the country.”

Elon Musk endorsed and heavily promoted the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party many associate with the nation’s Nazi past, and Vice President JD Vance recently met with the AfD’s leader while skipping a meeting with Sholz, but 79% of voters chose to support other parties in a high-turnout election where proportional representation greatly expanded the number of votes counting toward seats while making it far harder for an extreme power to earn the power to govern on its own. The Guardian’s five takeaways include: “A gender divide was also clearly visible, with women more likely to support left-leaning parties and men drawn to the right. The AfD, for example, won 24% of men but only 17% of women, while the SPD and the Linke claimed 18% and 11% of women’s votes respectively, compared with 15% and 7% of men’s.”

Canada Liberal Party Election with Ranked Choice Voting

With Justin Trudeau stepping down and Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric toward Canada sparking a backlash against the previously favored Conservative Party leader, Canada’s upcoming general election is one to watch. The center-left Liberal Party has five candidates seeking to replace Trudeau, with ranked choice voting results to be announced on March 9th. Former Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland is among the favorites. All five national parties in Canada use RCV for their leadership elections. When announcing his resignation, Trudeau said his single biggest regret was not being able to bring RCV to general elections in Canada.

Democratic Governors Navigate Policy Disputes with Trump on Funding and Inclusion

Credit: Troy R. Bennett, Bangor Daily News 

An Associated Press article by Joey Cappelletti highlights growing tensions between Democratic governors and President Donald Trump in his second term. Maine Gov. Janet Mills clashed with Trump over his executive order targeting trans athletes, which led to a federal investigation into Maine's education policies. Other Democratic governors, like Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and New York’s Kathy Hochul, engaged with Trump on policy matters but maintained opposition on key issues.

Disagreement is a core element of a healthy democracy, and women in politics should not be threatened with investigations and negative consequences for dissenting against the president: 

The Democrats who lead the nation’s most populous states were in Washington for a meeting of the National Governors Association, where they tried to strike a balance between their states’ needs and their feelings about Trump.

Whitmer, known for clashing with Trump during his first term over the federal COVID-19 response, campaigned vigorously against him in 2024 on behalf of Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. Whitmer said she sat next to Trump at a White House dinner on Saturday night.

“I was the only Democrat at the table. I was a little surprised. I think everyone in the room was a little surprised, to be honest,” she said. “But I took the opportunity to talk a little bit about tariffs.”

Denmark’s Woman Prime Minister Mette Frederikson on Immigration

David Leonhardt, on February 25th, took a deep dive in The New York Times magazine into the leadership skills of Denmark’s woman prime minster Mette Frederiksen - with her success tied to a controversial position among progressives of taking a hard line on immigration. I share this excerpt not to endorse her position, but to show how women can make hard decisions as leaders:

“Since President Trump won re-election in November, Frederiksen has become a global symbol of opposition to him, thanks to her rebuffing his call for Denmark to turn over control of Greenland. But the main significance of Frederiksen and her party, the Social Democrats, has little to do with aid to Ukraine or a territorial argument in the North Atlantic. Over the past six years, they have been winning elections and notching policy victories that would be the envy of liberals worldwide, and doing so at a moment when the rest of the West is lurching to the right…

To Frederiksen and her aides, however, a tough immigration policy is not a violation of progressivism; to the contrary, they see the two as intertwined. As I sat in her bright, modern office, which looks out on centuries-old Copenhagen buildings, she described the issue as the main reason that her party returned to power and has remained in office even as the left has flailed elsewhere. Leftist politics depend on collective solutions in which voters feel part of a shared community or nation, she explained. Otherwise, they will not accept the high taxes that pay for a strong welfare state. “Being a traditional Social Democratic thinker means you cannot allow everyone who wants to join your society to come,” Frederiksen says. Otherwise, “it’s impossible to have a sustainable society, especially if you are a welfare society, as we are.” High levels of immigration can undermine this cohesion, she says, while imposing burdens on the working class that more affluent voters largely escape, such as strained benefit programs, crowded schools and increased competition for housing and blue-collar jobs. Working-class families know this from experience. Affluent leftists pretend otherwise and then lecture less privileged voters about their supposed intolerance.”

Recent Attempts to Reform Language in State Constitutions Have Failed

Photo Credit: Jack Dura/AP Photo, File

As of 2023, 41 state constitutions nationwide use exclusively male pronouns to reference an individual seeking or holding elected office; only nine use gender-neutral or a mix of male and female pronouns to refer to elected officials. In most cases, adapting gender-neutral language in government documents requires either legislative approval, a new constitutional amendment, or both. As recently as 2024, former Republican governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem pushed for a ballot measure to change the gendered state constitution from “he” to more neutral words like “the Governor.”  This proposal failed in the South Dakota legislature due in part to the use of the word “pronoun” in the bill text- a symptom of the rise in conservative movements stripping trans and nonbinary individuals of their gender identity in government documents. Governor Noem limited gender-affirming care for kids and banned transgender women from playing in sports leagues that match their gender identity in 2023 and 2022, respectively. South Dakota scored a C and ranked 24th in our 2024 Gender Parity Index. 

Sejal Govindaro of the Associated Press writes: 

Across the nation, state constitutions presume officeholders are male, and they increasingly are outdated. This year, a record of 13 women were serving as governor before Noem stepped down to serve in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. In state legislatures, 2,469 women are serving, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

Most states haven’t modernized their constitutions to reflect the rise of women in politics. Among those that have are New York’s, which became gender-neutral in 2001, and Vermont’s, where voters approved a change from “men” to “persons” in 1994.

Hollywood Sees Gender Parity in 2024’s Highest-Grossing Films

In addition to using innovative voting systems like ranked choice voting by the Academy, Hollywood once again leads the charge for representation. ​​In 2024, for the first time in recent history, the percentage of top-grossing films featuring female protagonists equaled that of films with male protagonists, marking a major milestone for gender parity in Hollywood.

See what it's like to vote as an Academy member and rank the 2025 best-picture nominees!

Jake Coyle writes for ABC News:

Movies like “Wicked,"“Inside Out 2" and “The Substance” lifted Hollywood's theatrical releases to gender parity in leading roles in 2024. Of the 100 top domestic grossing films in 2024, 42% had female protagonists, and 42% had male protagonists, according to a report issued by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which also released its annual study Tuesday, found that 54% of the top 100 films at the box office in 2024 featured girls and women as protagonists. That's a massive jump from just the year prior, when 30% of films featured women in lead roles. In 2007, when the USC annual study began, that figure was just 20%.

"This is the first time we can say that gender equality has been reached in top-grossing films,” Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, said in a statement.

Ranked Choice Voting: Support in Arlington, 2025 Elections and New Resource

Women have a remarkable record of success in ranked choice voting (RCV) elections that invite voters to engage with more candidates. The county board in Arlington (VA) last winter unanimously voted to make RCV their permanent system for primary elections, and last week, after a pilot election in November, voted to keep using RCV in general elections:

“Board member Susan Cunningham was also encouraged by reporting from the County Registrar on her staff's experience working with voters during last fall's election. "I would say 1 in 100 [voters] would stop and ask us for more of an explanation with ranked choice voting," said Registrar Gretchen Reinemeyer. "Those who did need extra assistance with ranked choice voting needed assistance with the whole ballot. It was not just confusion limited to the office using ranked choice voting."

FairVote has released a new report on the many 2025 elections with ranked choice voting unfolding across the year, starting with Redondo Beach (CA) on March 4th. Highlights:

• RCV will be used in the largest cities in five states – including New York City and Minneapolis. 

• RCV will be used for the first time in at least three cities: Charlottesville, VA; Fort Collins, CO; and Redondo Beach.

• RCV will be used in a special election to choose the next mayor of Oakland, CA.

• Skokie, IL will vote on an April ballot measure to adopt RCV.
• Big cities like Boston and Denver are taking steps toward the reform.

New Paper on Voting Systems

For those wanting a deeper dive into choices to make about approaches to RCV, see a new paper available as a free download on SSRN by FairVote’s Rachel Hutchinson and Michael Parson on Reform for Realists: The False Promise of Condorcet Voting. From the Abstract: “In this Article, we step back from the theoretical conversations about formal, mathematical election-system criteria that have dominated the discourse and offer a more functional framework for analyzing proposed reforms. This “reform for realists” approach seeks to situate the existing literature in a richer scholarly context, to surface and center key normative questions, and to ground future study in a thicker (albeit messier) account of mediated, pluralistic politics and competing reform options. Through this wider lens, we evaluate the latest CCM literature and argue that much of it misses the forest for the trees, ignoring fundamental principles of democratic design and first-order questions at the foundation of election law.

Conversation with RepresentWomen Board Chair & Women Leaders on the Value of Ranked Choice Voting

Register here for a virtual conversation on Monday,  March 3rd at 7pm EST with RepresentWomen board chair Michelle Whittaker, my mayor (😊) Talisha Searcy, and Montgomery County, MD council member Laurie-Anne Sayles on work to expand the use of ranked choice voting in Maryland – see RCV Maryland for more information & a link to donate.

That's all for this week, enjoy your weekend!

Cynthia Richie Terrell 

P.S. 

Two Plays Capture What Life is Like for Women in America

I’ve been fortunate to see many plays with my theatre-loving husband and children. I visited Maryland’s Roundhouse Theatre twice to see the remarkable What the Constitution Means to Me, and was thrilled to learn that Heidi Schreck’s masterwork has become the most produced play in America. American Theatre wrote about the play early on in its run:

“What the Constitution Means to Me is partly playwright/performer Schreck’s revisiting her 15-year-old self, when she gave speeches around the country at American Legion halls about the Constitution, and took home prize money that paid for her entire college education. But in addition to giving us some of the exact speech she gave at 15, Schreck also gives us a dissection of the Constitution as she understands it now, as a forty-something-year-old woman. … What she discovered in the 10 years she spent working on the show, and in reflecting on her own life and those of the women in her family, a number of whom were abused, is that for all the progress the Constitution has made possible—the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause, for instance, which has enabled the Civil Rights movement, the legalization of same-sex marriage, and workplace rights for women—the document has overall fallen short in protecting women from violence. Women and marginalized bodies are left out of the Constitution, and that “equal protection” has only been won in some cases by acts of judicial interpretation.”

This week, I saw the world premiere of Bess Wohl’s Liberation at Roundabout Theater on Broadway. This New York Stage Review article captures the frustration that I felt during the performance from listening to the repeating cycle of patriarchal norms in the United States: “If you were a woman in 1970, by almost every standard, you were regarded as a second class citizen in this country. You could not get a credit card or mortgage without a responsible man to co-sign for you. Abortion was illegal across the land; no matter your education or experience, you had fewer opportunities and were likely to earn less than your male counterparts; and despite all your protests and your dogged determination to gain equal rights, true equality eluded you. That’s the backdrop for Bess Wohl’s beautifully evocative play entitled Liberation. And given recent setbacks for women in the political landscape, this timely work resonates in a deeply personal way.”

Why America Still Awaits Its First Woman President

Credit: RepresentWomen

This Monday was Presidents Day. Research Manager Marvelous Maeze and Digital Media Manager Ria Deshmukh wrote an insightful OpEd examining the deeply entrenched history of white masculinity and systemic barriers that keep women, particularly women of color, out of the Oval Office. The piece explores concepts like the glass cliff, misogynoir, and respectability politics, which create impossible standards for women candidates. 

Read the full op-ed on Ms. Magazine:

Presidents’ Day often conjures images of our founding fathers, men whose legacies in history books portray them as heroic figures. Yet, these white men confined themselves to rooms of power, shutting the doors behind them and leaving the majority of society—women, marginalized groups and nonconforming individuals—without a seat at the table, effectively denying them power and influence.

No man embodies the archetype of leadership in American history more than George Washington—an American hero whose resolve to uphold slavery was so staunch and morally corrupt that he exploited various legal mechanisms to perpetuate the enslavement of Black people. These included (but were not limited to) the frequent transportation of enslaved individuals between his properties to avoid emancipation laws, leveraging gradual emancipation statutes to delay freedom for enslaved people, and ensuring the generational inheritance of enslaved people.

Setting Washington, our nation’s first president, as the bar for heroism and leadership has perpetuated a legacy that normalizes overly masculine, cruel mindsets and glorifies his role while ignoring the exploitation and dehumanization that defined much of his leadership. Although it is obvious these actions are a product of that time, what is less clear is how these actions evolved to stand the test of time.

The injustices perpetrated by the founding fathers are still being felt in today’s social climate, government and policy.

2026 Senate Races Offer Risk and Opportunities for Women

Photo Credit: Center for American Women and Politics

Women hold only 26 of 100 U.S. Senate seats, but may again lose seats in 2026, according to a new analysis by the Center for Politics. In today’s highly polarized electorate – with only one Senator from one party representing one of the 43 states seen as safe for the other party’s presidential nominee - the playing field in 2026 is small, with only three tossups, five lean states, and 27 safe contests. As the last Senator holding a seat in the other party’s presidential turf, Maine Republican Susan Collins will face a well-financed challenge if she chooses to run and turns back a primary challenge.  Minnesota’s Tina Smith won’t see re-election, but Peggy Flanagan has announced her bid and is the early front-runner, and New Hampshire’s Jeanne Shaheen is expected to join her. Five other Republican women are likely safe in the general election but may face primary challenges or retire, with West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito and Cynthia Lummis in their 70’s. For women to gain seats, more pressure will be placed on men to step back when there is a rare opening for change.

Deb Haaland Is Running for Governor of New Mexico 

Credit: RepresentWomen

Deb Haaland, former Interior Secretary under President Joe Biden, announced her campaign for governor of New Mexico earlier last week. In 2024, New Mexico received a “B” score on our Gender Parity Index. It ranked fourth in the nation after electing both Republican and Democrat women governors in the last twenty years. If elected, she would be the first Native American woman governor of a state. So far, no other individuals of either political party have formally declared their intent to run for governor of New Mexico. 

Ben Kamisar writes in NBC News: 

Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is running for governor of New Mexico, looking to be the first Native American woman to be elected governor of a state. 

Haaland launched her campaign Tuesday morning in an online video after having hinted at an announcement for the last few days. In it, she leans heavily on her biography, opening the video by saying she learned after a childhood of moving around, having to raise her child as a single mother and working toward "35 years of sobriety" that "nothing comes easy" but that "here in New Mexico, struggle makes you fierce."

"When I became New Mexico's member of Congress and then the leader of the U.S. Department of Interior, I seized the opportunity to make change," she says.

"But the problems we face now are bigger than ever, and we must be fierce to solve them. That's why I am running for governor of the great state of New Mexico.

Prospects for Women in Upcoming Mayoral Races

Credit: RepresentWomen 

It’s a big year for mayoral races around the United States. In. St. Louis, incumbent Tishaura Jones faces a highly competitive race, with a winnowing primary in March and general election in April, with city councilor Cara Spencer favored. Oakland’s ranked choice voting (RCV) system allows the city to uphold majority rule in one election, with former Congressman Barbara Lee drawing impressive endorsements. When Oakland started using RCV in 2010, it had never elected a woman mayor – a victory for Lee would mean that all four Oakland mayors elected by RCV have been women. Meanwhile, New York City has its second RCV primary for mayor in June, with a wide-open contest potentially drawing city council speaker Adrienne Adams in addition to state senator Jessica Ramos.

New York City’s New Majority Seeks to Build on Success for Women in 2021

Photo Credit: RepresentWomen

As RepresentWomen documented in its 2022 report Why Women Won in 2021, women had a historic surge in New York City’s first-ever ranked choice voting elections. Two women mayoral candidates narrowly lost debate being heavily outspent, while women went from only 13 women on its 51-member city council to a majority of 31, grounded in a combination of intentional action in recruiting women to run, public financing creating fair access for more candidates and ranked choice voting allowing more competition and rewarding unifying candidates. It made a substantive difference, with New Majority NYC issuing a report. With a woman speaker and majority, the council tackled overlooked issues involving domestic violence and health according to a report by the New Majority NYC. Last week New Majority NYC issued its endorsements for 34 women running in RCV primaries in June.

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Coaches Calls for a Women-centered Approach

Photo Credit: Cait Opperman

The biggest challenge for measuring the impact of electing women as leaders may be that they are inheriting governing models and norms created by and for men - ones that emphasize competition over cooperation and hierarchical power over collaboration. I draw inspiration from the insights of U.S. women’s national soccer team head coach Emma Hayes, whose team won the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics and is looking toward the 2027 World Cup. The New York Times’ Athletic recently featured Hayes’ goal to “reframe everything through the lens of girls and women in the sport, rather than relying on what has previously been built for men.” Hayes adds “Fundamentally, everything within our game has been centered through a male bias and a male lens. So I’ve challenged everybody across the federation internally to look at how they’ve been viewing the women’s game.”

Women Expected to Lose Seats in Germany Due to Structural Changes

Photo Credit: RepresentWomen

German political scientists Corinna Kroeber and Lena Stephan have a sobering analysis of the upcoming German elections in the London School of Economics and Political Science’s blog on European Politics and Policy. They explain that “While the proportion of women in the Bundestag stood at 34.8% after the 2021 election, the number of women MPs will shrink significantly after Sunday’s federal elections” and that “this is not accidental but a direct consequence of the new electoral law, which reinforces existing inequalities.” They explain that the loss of 100 party list seats, “is particularly detrimental to women, as they are far more likely to enter parliament through party lists than through direct mandates”, with women in 2021 winning 41% of list seats but only 26% of the seats elected in American-style single-member districts. They conclude that: “ In the long run, structural reforms are needed to ensure equal opportunities in politics. A legal quota for party lists would be an effective solution.”

AI Deepfake Technology Presents a New  Barrier for Women Entering Politics 

Photo Credit: RepresentWomen

The advancement of technology creates another barrier for women in politics. Deepfakes of celebrities are becoming disturbingly common. In Ireland, high-profile women like Amy Huberman, Kathryn Thomas, and Claire Byrne have been targeted, but the concern extends beyond celebrities, with countless ordinary women likely victimized in the same way. Creating such content is reprehensible, and sharing it publicly crosses a legal and moral line that should be met with harsh punishment.

Weaponizing female sexuality in political and social spheres is nothing new, but AI deepfakes take this degradation to another level. Lawmakers must address this issue promptly before it prevents women from participating in government on a large scale.

Simon Bourke writes for the Irish Independent: 

In cases where the images and videos are shared to purposely derail someone’s political campaign, to sully their reputation, those found guilty should be treated in the same vein as the very worst sex offenders.

When first announced as a candidate for Fianna Fáil in November’s General Election, Gráinne Seoige was considered a strong favourite to, at the very least, gain one of the five seats on offer – with some predicting she might even top the poll. Instead, the former journalist and presenter finished a distant eighth in the polls, never once troubling the frontrunners and receiving less than half of the votes of her party colleague John Connolly.

At the time, Ms Seoige’s reluctance to participate in media events was said to be a determining factor in her performance, but an ongoing Garda investigation, first reported by The Irish Mail on Sunday, offers perhaps an alternative explanation.

In a letter sent to Fianna Fáil general secretary Seán Dorgan, Ms Seoige confirms that Gardaí are investigating the circulation of a fake AI-generated pornographic image of her which “were put together and distributed in an effort to damage her campaign”. An Garda Síochána has since confirmed that officers in the North Western Region “received a report in relation to the distribution of a harmful communication in November, 2024” and said the investigation is “ongoing”.

In her letter to Mr Dorgan, Ms Seoige criticised social media platforms for not providing sufficient protections for those depicted in images of this nature and asked for his help in ensuring “young Irish girls and women” did not experience similar incidents.

Carolyn Nicholson Terrell, February 18, 1921 – February 20, 2007, painted by Melanie Humble

This week was the anniversary of my mother’s birth & death. She was born into a orthodox Quaker family but had very innovative and open minded parents who introduced her at a young age to the beauty of nature, the wonder of books, the value of service, the gift of laughter, a love of the Pine Barrens, and the simple pleasure of sponge cake with raspberries and custard sauce.  I think of her often but especially this week.

Thank you, 

Cynthia Richie Terrell
https://www.representwomen.org/

P.S.

Stacey Abrams, former Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia in 2018 and 2022, founder of Fair Fight Action, host of Assembly Required (I was a guest on the  inaugural episode), and a distinguished lawyer, author, and activist, will serve as the keynote speaker at the upcoming Democracy Solutions Summit.

Abrams will deliver the closing keynote on day two of the Summit, offering her insights on effective solutions to strengthen democracy. RepresentWomen is honored to welcome such a distinguished leader to this important event.

Register here – and please forward this invitation along to your friends, colleagues, and partners!