10-13-2024 W2W - Flipbook - Page 46
By Candy
Woodall
Women are making strides
in politics: Why it matters
T
he “Year of the Woman” label is too often thrown around
when women break a barrier that should often be the norm.
In 1992, it was used when five women were elected to the
U.S. Senate. It was used in 2016 when Democrat Hillary Clinton
became the first woman to lead a ticket for a major political party.
We heard it again in 2018 during the so-called “pink wave,” when
more than 100 women were elected
to the U.S. House. There will likely
be temptations to dub 2024 the Year
of the Woman, especially if Vice
President Kamala Harris wins the
White House.
But I tend to agree with something former Baltimore native and
U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski said
decades ago: “Calling 1992 the Year
of the Woman makes it sound like
the Year of the Caribou or the Year
of the Asparagus. We’re not a fad, a
fancy or a year.”
Mikulski had a storied career as
one of the longest-serving women
in the Senate and the longest-serving senator in Maryland’s history.
She’s among a lot of Maryland
women who have broken barriers,
defied odds and bucked trends, and
this could be another historic year
FREEPIK
in our state.
After big gains in recent years,
there’s been a dip in the number of women running for office across
the country in 2024. Women hold fewer than a third of all municipal offices and are underrepresented at state and federal levels of
politics, except at the position of lieutenant governor.
Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Woman to Watch 2023, is
among the women who hold more than half of the lieutenant
governor positions in the country. The state is also poised to send
three Democratic women to Congress in 2025, according to the
Center for American Women and Politics. That includes Angela
Alsobrooks, who could become the first Black woman to represent
Maryland in the U.S. Senate. State Sen. Sarah Elfreth is running to
represent the 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House, and
April McClain-Delaney, deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Commerce, is running for an open seat in the state’s 6th
Congressional District.
While Maryland has a long history of voting for Democrats, it’s
good to see more Republican women growing in politics. That
includes Nicole Beus Harris, chairwoman of the Maryland Republican Party and wife of U.S. Rep. Andy Harris. She’s one of our 2024
Women to Watch, along with Tammy Stinnett, chairperson for the
Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee.
Here’s why it matters that these two women are recognized this
year among a talented slate of women who are leading in finance,
real estate, nonprofits, science and
more. Multiple studies have shown
when more women lead in politics, democracy and the economy
function better. For example, findings from consulting firm Oliver
Wyman, King’s College of London
and the University of Korea reveal
how a country’s overall progress and
performance improves when it has a
significant representation of women
in political leadership.
Women tend to have different
viewpoints and priorities than men,
the study said, and globally they
tend to run on health care, peace,
security, education, climate action
and fighting corruption.
Despite historic runs and gains
in the last 10 years, women are still
woefully underrepresented in politics and political leadership. The last
time America voted for a president,
women led just 20 of 193 nations and
held only a quarter of legislative or parliamentary seats around the
world, according to Oliver Wyman.
King’s College, sounding a lot like Mikulski all those years ago,
warned that we need women’s representation to be significant,
not just symbolic.
Maryland women are primed to have a significant impact in
2024. And that’s not just candidates running for office. Voters
have huge sway, and perhaps the most decisive will be those who
gave Republican Nikki Haley 20% of the state’s primary vote. They
could be consequential in choosing candidates up and down the
ballot, especially in the neck-and-neck U.S. Senate race.
And while we wouldn’t encourage a vote for any candidate
simply because they’re a woman, we know our Women to Watch
class shows the incredible talent and leadership abilities of Maryland women.
They’re, indeed, not a fad, fancy or a year. They’re strong, formidable, and leading every day.
Candy Woodall is The Sun’s opinion editor. Her email is cwoodall@baltsun.com
46 | 2024 | WOMEN TO WATCH
