NWPC LA Westside: Updates from the Center for American Women and Politics

We applaud the good work of the CAWP. Here are some updates from their newsletter:

April 14, 2015

CAWP NEWS & NOTES

A newsletter to keep you informed about all things women and politics from the Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University

Presidential Gender Watch 2016 is off and running!

The new nonpartisan project to track, analyze and illuminate gender dynamics in election 2016 is now live online. This partnership between CAWP and the Barbara Lee Family Foundation will draw on the research and expertise of both organizations, as well as other experts, to further public understanding of how gender influences candidate strategy, voter engagement and expectations, media coverage, and electoral outcomes in the race for the nation's highest executive office.

But wait, there's more!

The presidential race is far from the only one to watch. CAWP's Election Watch 2016 is up online as well, tracking women's potential candidacies for the U.S. Senate and House and statewide elective offices. And don't forget about the five states with elections in 2015.

Some are coming, some are going...

Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-MI)

Four women have already announced that they will retire at the end of their current terms in 2016 (Senators Barbara Boxer and Barbara Mikulski, Congresswomen Lois Capps and Candice Miller). In addition, Congresswomen Tammy Duckworth and Donna Edwards plan to seek Senate seats, and Congresswoman Janice Hahn is leaving to run for Los Angeles County Supervisor.

Leader of the future interviews expert on women's leadership

16-year-old Alex Kukoff, already a widely published writer and activist on behalf of deaf rights, interviewed CAWP director Debbie Walsh for Amy Poehler's Smart Girls - an online community whose motto is "Change the World by Being Yourself." Smart Girls, an ally in CAWP's Teach a Girl to Lead™ initiative, proves you can change the world and have fun at the same time!

Who says men don't care about women's issues?

Not the four men who have joined the Women Legislators of Maryland, per The Washington Post. The caucus's stated mission is "fighting for equity for women, curtailing poverty, providing affordable health care and ending violence against women." You go, boys!

And while we're in Maryland...

Hats off to Nancy Kopp, now in her 40th year of serving the state, first as a legislator and now as state treasurer, as reported by Center Maryland.

Do women make better presidents?

We may not know yet in the U.S., but Mike Pesca, on his podcast The Gist, speculates on the subject with CAWP director Debbie Walsh.

How to do the gender thing

As Hillary Clinton announced her presidential candidacy, CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson talked to experts about the "gender tightrope" Clinton must walk. Rebecca Traister explained why Clinton is not "inevitable" and listed her hopes for the race in The New Republic. And Jessica Valenti, in The Guardian, described the gender card she would recommend playing. If you enjoy this sort of analysis, make sure to follow Presidential Gender Watch on Twitter (@genderwatch2016) and like it on Facebook.