National Women's Political Caucus of Washington

So far, 2016 has been an incredible year for making herstory! Women are running for, and being elected to, offices nationwide. Not to mention, we have the first woman major party candidate for the highest office in the land. However, we have work to do in Washington state to achieve equity in elected offices.

NWPC-WA will be hosting our annual May Hutton Celebration on Monday, May 23 from 12-1 p.m. Learn more and register here. Read more about legendary Washington suffragette May Hutton below!

The force that was May Hutton erupted from humble beginnings. The orphaned girl was raised by her blind grandfather. Her passion for issues was cemented early when she accompanied her grandfather to political meetings in her native Ohio in the mid-1800s. Hutton credited him with encouraging her not to limit her aspirations.

Wow. We are blown away. In less than 24 hours, our petition in support of Seattle's Councilwomen has collected over 1,200 signatures in support of our Seattle City Councilwomen, and the signatures just keep coming. We plan to deliver them all to City Hall next week. Below is a letter we sent to the Councilwomen this morning along with the first batch of signatures. 

The National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) is proud to endorse Pramila Jayapal for the U.S. House in Washington’s 7^th congressional district. Jayapal is a dedicated civil servant whose many years as a progressive leader makes her uniquely qualified to be the first woman to represent Washington's 7th district in Washington D.C.

The National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington (NWPC-WA) ended 2015 by honoring women from across the state who contributed their efforts to women’s campaigns during the year. These heroines worked diligently as integral components in the campaigns of numerous women candidates in Washington this year, and devoted countless hours to them.

“Women just don’t wake up one day and look at themselves in the mirror the way men quite frankly do and say, ‘I should run for office,’ ” said Liz Berry, who recruits many candidates through her role as state president of the National Women's Political Caucus of Washington.

Read the full article here.

We are all too familiar with the tired headline, “Why Don’t More Women Run for Office?” This year, two women are running for president and in Seattle ten women are running for City Council, not to mention the hundreds of women running across the state. For the first time since 1998, Seattle has the potential for a woman majority on City Council. While it is promising to see more women putting their names on the ballot, these candidates still face sexist, racist, and ageist attacks along the campaign trail that are too often overlooked or ignored.

Natalie Brand of King 5 News highlights our work to recruit and train women candidates for Seattle City Council this year!

As our President Liz Berry says, "What excites me the most is it will be a younger council, more diverse and with more women." Watch it here!

The National Women's Political Caucus officially endorsed Hillary Clinton for President of the United States recently. Our own state steering committee member Samantha Casne shares why she is going all in for Hillary in 2016. 

I’ve been a Hillary supporter for a long time.  

I first worked for Hillary in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2007, and then went on to work for her in 8 other states. I literally committed 1,000 and 10 percent to her 2008 presidential campaign.

I committed all that time, energy and effort because of many factors. But most of all, I supported Hillary over any other presidential candidate because of her commitment to women and girls. 

I’m reminded of why this is so important almost on a daily basis. Just this month, we remembered Equal Pay Day.  We also remembered that a year ago, a group of Nigerian schools girls were kidnapped from their school while they were sitting for an exam. 

It’s a no brainer to me the connection between empowering women and girls and creating a more just and equal society. Hillary understands this connection and has focused on empowering women and girls as part of a broader strategy to strengthen societies around the globe.  

This is not a new thing for her. Hillary has always been involved in advancing the rights of women and girls, even as a young lawyer when she worked for the Children’s Defense Fund. 

As Secretary of State, she made women a cornerstone of US foreign policy. Across the globe, she explained that for nations to succeed and for economies to grow, women must be respected, empowered and be present at the leadership table. As a diplomat, she worked to provide the tools to make that happen.

Women’s leadership roles in society and empowering women and girls appear to be gaining in popularity. With the recent conversation happening in the news media about women in leadership, with Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” concept, and with the pay gap conversation, discussions about women’s societal roles seems to be taking off.  I’m excited by this conversation, especially because I see Hillary building on that momentum and propelling all of us to victory in 2016. 

To think we could have a president, a woman no less, who shares the values and commitment to empowering women and girls is exhilarating.  

I’m #ready for Hillary in 2016! If you are, and would like to help get her elected, find more information at https://www.hillaryclinton.com/join/. 

NWPC-WA President Liz Berry quoted in the Seattle Times about how woman candidates fared in the primary election in Seattle:

Liz Berry, president of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington, called Tuesday night “a great night for women.”

“We have a shot at a women-majority council for the first time since 1998,” Berry said. “It’s a really exciting time for Seattle politics when you think about what the council could look like in November.”

Read the full article here: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/younger-more-diverse-seattle-city-council-may-be-ahead/