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A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FOR THE 2016 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION MOST25 INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN STATE POLITICS PRESENTED BY CQ ROLL CALL | 51 INTRODUCTION CONTENTS 53 Stephanie Azar 54 Kimberly Yee 55 Toni Atkins T IS OFTEN SAID that wom- en running,” she says. en have come a long way While she says there are many 56 Kamala Harris in politics. But they haven’t reasons women don’t run for office, Iadvanced much lately. we think one of the most inter- 57 After sharp gains in the 1980s, esting may be that women often Felicia Marcus women today hold less than a look at America’s partisan and MOST25 INFLUENTIAL 58 quarter of the state legislative WOMEN IN combative political institutions Mary D. Nichols seats and statewide executive STATE POLITICS and conclude that they’re not the offices, and less than 30 percent place to be if you want to make 59 of the state judgeships. Across a difference in the world. Cynthia Coffman the 50 states, there are six women governors. Of course, sometimes government can be a Since the turn of the 21st century, according to place that makes a difference. 60 Pam Bondi the Center for American Women and Politics at In this special issue of CQ for the Democratic Rutgers University, women have held between National Convention, we tell the stories of 25 61 22.6 and 28 percent of such offices. In 2015, women women in state government who have made a dif- Anitere Flores held 24.7 percent of statewide executive offices. In ference. 62 state legislatures, women in 1999 held 22.4 percent In our search for these 25 women, reporters and Dana Young of the seats nationwide. That number was just 24.3 editors at CQ Roll Call considered a wide range percent in 2009, where it remains today. of statewide office holders and leadership-level 63 Stacey Abrams Why has their progress stalled? It’s not because legislators. To call the final 25 the most influential women can’t win elections, says Debbie Walsh, women in state politics invites what ought to be 64 who directs the Rutgers center. She says most re- a celebratory debate, one that might make more Rita Garman search shows that women win elections at about women decide that they, too, can make a differ- 65 the same rate as men. ence in government. Lisa Madigan “The problem is that there aren’t enough wom- — The Editors 66 Janet T. Mills 67 Maura Healey 68 Tina Smith 69 Michele Fiore 70 family of Brooklyn Maggie Hassan Democrats but has since made a name 72 for herself as a Ne Susana Martinez vada Republican. Opposite:, Horse 73 photo with the Mary Fallin governor. 74 Kate Brown 75 Tina Kotek Gina Raimondo is the 76 first woman to be elected Gina Raimondo governor in Rhode Island. 77 Nikki R. Haley ON THE COVER; TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT: AARON LAVINSKY/STAR-TRIBUNE VIA AP; CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES; M. SPENCER GREEN/AP; JOSHUA LOTT/GETTY IMAGES; PAUL 78 MORIGI/GETTY IMAGES: KRIS CONNOR/GETTY IMAGES; MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER; RICH PEDRONCELLI/AP; KRIS CONNOR/GETTY IMAGES; BILL CLARK/CQ ROLL CALL; STEVE CANNON/AP; JON AUSTRIA/THE DAILY TIMES VIA AP; WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES; OFFICE OF CALIFORNIA SPEAKER; JOSH EDELSON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; RICH PEDRONCELLI/ Christi Craddick AP; BILL CLARK/CQ ROLL CALL; THOMAS J. GONZALES/AP; JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES; KIRK TUCK; COURTESY FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL­­; TROY R. BENNETT/BANGOR DAILY NEWS; BOB CHRISTIE/AP; STEVE CANNON/AP PAUL MORIGI/GETTY IMAGES MORIGI/GETTY PAUL 52 | 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN STATE POLITICS ALABAMA STEPHANIE AZAR THE VETERAN ADMINISTRATOR HAS REVOLUTIONIZED MEDICAID SERVICES IN THE STATE By Marissa Evans TEPHANIE AZAR says she is tions (RCO) will run the program instead of Georgetown University Center for Chil- something of a budget hawk — ev- insurance companies. dren and Families, says legislators don’t ery penny at the Alabama Medicaid “There are other states going to man- always appreciate the complexity of their Sagency has to be accounted for at all times. aged care but our RCO transformation Medicaid programs, leading to underfund- As commissioner and general counsel is a provider-based, from the ground up, ing. for the program, Azar says that being able grassroots type of thing and it’s not being “When you’re implementing something to defend every dollar that goes out of her done anywhere else in the country,” Azar new you still have to carry on what’s al- doors makes it slightly easier when asking says. ready happening while you do the tran- state lawmakers for money — especially in Alabama’s health care landscape is sition, so it’s twice as much work maybe a deep red state that is skeptical of federal unique; many beneficiaries suffer from even more,” Brooks says. “When you’re programs. obesity and related problems such as high with a small agency that is underfunded About 1 million low-income Alabama blood pressure, and the state has an alarm- these kinds of sweeping changes can be residents are beneficiaries of the insurance ing infant mortality rate. very hard on the organization and the provided jointly by the state and federal Tricia Brooks, a senior fellow at the staff.” governments. In fiscal 2015, the agency received $685 million from the Alabama general fund — 39 percent of the state budget. A federal waiver allowing regional care “If I don’t control and balance appro- priately, in this political environment that organizations to provide Medicaid services was can actually be jeopardized,” she said in an “a huge milestone for the state of Alabama.” interview. Azar has been part of Alabama Medicaid for 17 years, serving as general counsel be- fore becoming commissioner in May 2012. She previously practiced estate planning and corporate law at a firm in Montgomery. Aside from the political and daily mana- gerial tasks, Azar is working on an overhaul to how the program cares for patients. And other states are watching. On Feb. 9, the federal Centers for Medi- care and Medicaid Services approved a waiver that allows Alabama to create 11 re- gional care organizations to help Medicaid beneficiaries with primary care, behavioral health and specialty care. The state could receive up to $748 million over the next five years if it meets benchmark goals. Azar says the waiver is “a huge milestone for the state of Alabama” and one of her greatest accomplishments so far. Alabama’s managed care system is comprised of state-approved providers who offer health care services to Medicaid beneficiaries and are paid a fixed monthly fee per patient. The regional care organiza- BIOGRAPHY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: Named general counsel for Alabama Medicaid in 2010 before her appointment as commissioner in 2012. | HIGHLIGHTS: Practiced estate planning and corporate law at the Thorington and Gregory law firm in Montgomery, Ala. | EDUCATION: University of Alabama, B.A.; University of Alabama School of Law, J.D. MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER MONTGOMERY CQ ROLL CALL | 53 ARIZONA KIMBERLY YEE INCOMING STATE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER IS A ‘FAMILY VALUES, FISCAL CONSERVATIVE’ By Jonathan Miller HEN KIMBERLY YEE ran for a full term in the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010, po- Wlitical consultants had a few suggestions on how to address her Chinese heritage. One said she should use her husband’s last name —Mar —which somehow seemed less Asian, even though he is also of Chi- nese descent. Another suggested she drop her last name altogether from campaign signs, which would simply read: “KIMBER- LY.” Yee was taken aback. “I said, ‘I’ll find out on Election Day whether Arizonans are ready for their first Asian-American woman in the legislature,” she said in an interview with CQ. The campaign signs had her full name. It turns out Arizonans were ready, and the self-described “family values, fiscal conservative” Republican from Phoenix has since made her mark on a host of issues, including abortion and education, while also digging into the underbelly of state government. In her time in office, she’s butted heads with the state's Republi- “When she finds an issue she wants to work on, can governor, Doug Ducey, on appointees she felt were unqualified. she’s dedicated to it.” Yee is a rarity, both in Arizona and in the — Andy Biggs, Arizona Senate president U.S. — a deeply conservative Asian-Ameri- can politician. And the Republican Nation- al Committee has called her a “rising star.” A run for higher office seems inevitable, then-Gov. Jan Brewer in 2011, requires doc- to detail, she believes, that helped her and she said she’d be “interested when the tors to give all women in the state seeking turn back Ducey’s pick to run the state time is right.” abortions an ultrasound, while providing lottery, Tony Bouie. When she dove into his But before that, the mother of two them the option to first see pictures of their background, Yee says she found all sorts of boys under age 3 is poised for another ultrasound and hear the fetus’ heartbeat. red flags. Asian-American first: majority leader of the She also sponsored a 2012 bill that banned “I made a call to the governor’s office,” Arizona Senate, for which she is running most abortions after 20 weeks — that law she says, and told them: “You have given unopposed in the fall. was struck down in federal court. me a person with a questionable financial “She’s smart and she’s determined,” In 2014, Yee blocked a medical marijua- background, no government experience, no says Andy Biggs, the outgoing Republican na bill, prompting a veterans’ group to lead administrative experience.” Bouie, who had Senate president who is running to replace a recall attempt on her seat.

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