The New Agenda sent out the following press release yesterday:
Time for Ohio to Move Women Forward
(Columbus, OH) — The New Agenda, a new national nonpartisan women’s rights organization, calls on both the Ohio Republican and Democratic Parties to nominate a pool of talented women to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
Sen. George V. Voinovich’s decision not to seek re-election next year kicked off a round of jockeying that must include Ohio women,” said Cynthia Ruccia, co-Founder of The New Agenda. “Ohio has never elected a woman to the U.S. Senate even though women represent over 50 percent of the electorate. It’s time for Ohio to lead in moving women forward.”
Women of this country did not fare well in the 2008 election. After the November election, ten states have lower representation of women in state government positions. The U.S. House of Representatives is still 84 percent male, and women lost four seats overall. The U.S. Senate is 83 percent male.
There are a number of highly qualified women who can ably represent Ohioans and their interests in the U.S. Senate. That list includes State Auditor Mary Taylor and former Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Bradley for the Republicans, and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and former Ohio House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty for the Democrats.
The New Agenda’s Ruccia has had initial meetings with the leadership of the Ohio Democratic party, and will be meeting Republican leaders next week. Ohio is the first state-based chapter of the growing national women’s rights organization with membership across the country.
Amy Siskind, co-Founder and President of The New Agenda said, “At The New Agenda we know that our country needs talented women in leadership positions and we need them now.”
According to the Center for American Women at Rutgers University, of the 50 states, Ohio ranks in the bottom 20 percent for female representation in government.
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UPDATE: Dayton Daily News reports: “Cynthia Ruccia’s a troublemaker and she’s proud of it.”
If there are any Ohioans reading this post, I’d love to know how you feel about Ohio being near the bottom of the 50 states in female representation in government. If you can, email me your thoughts at cruccia@aol.com
Nice article. Ohio is definitely “good old boy.”
Glad to see you all speaking up early on. Women are the majority, not a minority and considering the mess the primarily male government has stuck us with we must insist on taking our rightful 51% of government positions. Clearly men can not run governments, religions or corporations on their own without violence, greed, debt and power struggles taking over.You folks on the sexist east coast have got to some how put an end to the misogynist culture you live in and take for granted as normal. I wish I knew what it would take to accomplish the change, I don’t. In fact I don’t see how you ever let it get so out of control. It is not like the all male government and media is actually working and satisfying anyone but themselves.
It would be fun to see a map graphic showing women governors and senators across the country. (And their ages maybe, and their demographic — in which Palin and Gillibrand might have matching flags.)
WA and CA have all women Senators, WA has a woman governor as well….
fsteele: Also the office holding women from the west coast are self made. They did not take over their husband, father, uncles office. They do not come from political elitist families.
Constance,
Palin is definitely self-made, and she won against her own party. The only dynasty woman I know of on the west coast is Pelosi.
fsteele: I didn’t realize that about Pelosi. Our west coast culture is so different from the east coast regarding women. I am really sick of having my media come, for the most part, from the New York area and having the nations politics dominated by the most backward part of the country. Strangely they are so arrogant they don’t have any curiosity about the rest of the country and just assume that they are the most forward thinking fair minded folks on earth.
Often maligned/ignored Michigan has a woman governor, Jennifer Granholm, and a woman senator, Debbie Stabenow. Our other senator is Carl Levin. Granholm is pushing for wind and solar energy. Stabenow and Levin are out front on energy, Iraq, and the economy. All work hard in a state with right wing religion on the west side; failing automobile companies and conflicts re: unions; a Detroit city government whose mayor will or has been released from jail; growing technology companies; the Great Lakes and a recreation industry; and the upper peninsula–a state unto itself.
The United States is so vast, with vastly different interests in east, west, north, south, and midwest–much of which is not recognized/known outside of its own state or area. Just about the only thing we have in common is language and, given the significant state cultural differences, the language must be interpreted diffferently in different areas. Except, of course, for TV speak, to which all of us are exposed.
One more thing about Michigan: it has the largest Arab population outside of the Mideast.