Senate President Pro Tempore Sharon Weston Broome encouraged women to find their place in the political arena Thursday afternoon during an online seminar called “Don’t Get Mad, Get Elected.”
Broome was promoting the Center for American Women and Politics’ 2012 project, which is “a national, non-partisan campaign to increase the number of women elected to Congress and state legislatures by taking advantage of the once-in-a-decade opportunities of 2012,” according to the project’s website.
Debbie Walsh, webinar moderator and CAWP director, said the purpose of the project is to champion advancement and promote the leadership of women on both the state and national level.
While women comprise about 51 percent of the population in the U.S., Walsh said they are vastly underrepresented in the legislature, holding only 17 percent of congressional seats, 12 percent of governorships and 17 percent of big-city mayorships.
Representation of African-American women is even lower, with only 4.5 percent in Congress and 4.7 percent in state legislature positions.
Walsh said she has studied women’s participation in politics for 40 years, and the progress has been slow. A few women with “big names” have made headway in politics, but the “challenge with these few big names is that they are few,” she said.
“We have to face the reality of how few women we actually have,” she said.
Broome and former Missouri state legislator Emmy McClelland spoke in the webinar about their experiences in office and their advice to women who wish to run in the future.
“It is important that women have a voice at the table when important decisions are made about our state’s and our nation’s future. It is important that women realize they can run for elected office, win and make a difference,” Broome said. “This is particularly important in state legislatures with term limits where more and more seats are up for grabs.”
Broome said her frustration with problems in her community spurred her to run for office, and she thought she could do something about the issues.
“I had no political or financial backing,” she said. “I just had my family, friends and church members.”
While the majority of state legislators have backgrounds in law, Broome said her background in communications brings in a new set of skills to the political arena.
Although that same political arena is dominated by men, Broome said, “Women are just as qualified as our male counterparts.”
Walsh agreed.
“Women are able to work together across party lines,” she said. “Women usually run when there is a problem that needs to be solved. Men run to be someone; women run to do something.”
Broome also gave advice about running for office.
“Dream big. Take all the limits off of yourself,” she said. “Think strategically. Jump in and don’t hesitate.”
McClelland reiterated Broome’s sentiments.
“Get involved,” she said. “If you can’t run this time, get involved in someone else’s campaign and take your skill set to help them.”
 
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Contact Kate Mabry at [email protected].