September 15, 2016
NEWS & NOTES
A newsletter to keep you informed about all things women and politics from the Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University.

The numbers are in
With all primaries now completed (except for Louisiana's November 8 vote) the candidate numbers are complete. The quick overview: While history is being made in 2016 by Hillary Clinton as the first female major party presidential nominee, there is little progress for women further down the ballot. Numbers of nominees for the Senate and House are close to past levels, with 168 women nominated for the U.S. House of Representatives and 16 for the Senate. Get the details in our latest press release.
Do we care if a candidate is competent?
Professor Tessa Ditonto of Iowa State University conducted research that suggests we have a double standard, placing more importance on competence when the candidate is a woman. Read her analysis in CAWP's footnotes blog .
Have you been there, done that?
Time for a field trip, whether with your school class, Girl Scout troop, or family? Get great ideas from our map and list of Programs & Places, part of CAWP's Teach a Girl to Lead initiative. The latest addition: The Matilda Joslyn Gage Home, where the early women's rights movement leader lived and worked in Fayetteville, NY. If that's not near you, we've got lots of other suggestions, places around the country where you can learn how women have helped to shape our democracy. Know of any historic sites honoring women not already mentioned on our map? Please let us know!
Before women run, they have to envision themselves as leaders. Your tax deductible gifts to CAWP support Teach a Girl to Lead ™ , NEW Leadership ™ and Ready to Run ® . Give online today or contact Sue Nemeth to discuss a Legacy Project.
   
"Power Posts" galore
The Washington Post's "Power Post" series has spotlighted women in several recent features:
Reserving seats at the table: Learn  how women have gradually increased their power in the White House, and what might happen if/when a woman finally presides there. Bonus: find out what "amplification" is and how women in the Obama White House use it.
Girls just wanna raise funds: Or at least they should if they want to win office and assume leadership roles. That's the message conveyed in this story,  based on conversations with powerful women who've done it.
Help wanted: women: Another "Power Post"  notes that both parties are trying to recruit more women to run for the Senate, with mixed results.
 
Incumbency: Plus and minus
Conventional wisdom holds that incumbency is a huge advantage in elections. But Roll Call  points out how a challenger benefits from her status, using the example of a Maine congressional race.
What it feels like to be in the minority
High school teacher Nick Ferroni  showed students how votes on issues important to them might be handled if 80% of the decision-makers were girls. Where have we seen a situation like this before? (Clue: The U.S. Senate is 80% male.)
 
What we thought in 1952
From the Gallup Vault  - a 1952 study showing that Americans "had mixed views about whether having more women in high governmental positions would be better for the country." While only 39% agreed that the country would be better governed with more women in Congress and other important positions, 56% agreed that more female leaders would result in less "graft and corruption."
 
Was it her gender?
While the numbers of women in public office in Brazil are indisputably low, The New York Times  reports there's plenty of disagreement about whether President Dilma Rousseff's ouster was evidence of gender bias or just politics as usual.
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