Wednesday, October 13, 2010
9:57 AM
Wasserman Schultz urges women to run for office
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz urged Wisconsin women to jump into the world of elected politics, saying women's voices and experience are critical to public discourse.
"I know it’s perhaps not the simplest way to make a difference, but it is an incredible opportunity that I urge all of you to consider," Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said last night at the state Democratic Party's annual Eleanor Roosevelt Tribute fundraiser.
Wasserman Schultz recounted her own initial run for office, winning a seat in the Florida Legislature at age 26.
"In that first election, the good ol' boy network had picked their favorite, and it was not me, I promise you," Wasserman Schultz said, recounting that she knocked on some 25,000 doors en route to winning a six-way primary with 53 percent of the vote.
"There will always be naysayers. There will always be people who tell you that the timing just isn't right, that the job just isn't a good fit, and that the world just isn't ready," Wasserman Schultz said. "Prove them wrong."
She added that only 17 percent of Congress members are women and noted the Los Angeles Times projected that percentage could decrease next year for only the second time in the country's history.
"We cannot let that happen this fall," Wasserman Schultz said. "We know how important it is that women's voices are represented in Congress."
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, also addressed the fundraiser, telling activists that their only chance to prevail in November is to outwork the GOP over the last three weeks of the campaign.
"As women, we have the most to gain and the most to lose in this election," Baldwin said.
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