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“These Very Impelling Reasons Against My Running”: Maine Women and Politics

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“These Very Impelling Reasons Against My Running”: Maine Women and Politics Maine Policy Review Volume 17 | Issue 1 2008 “These eV ry Impelling Reasons Against My Running”: Maine Women and Politics Mary Cathcart University of Maine, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr Part of the American Politics Commons, and the Public Affairs Commons Recommended Citation Cathcart, Mary. "“These Very Impelling Reasons Against My Running”: Maine Women and Politics." Maine Policy Review 17.1 (2008) : 8 -9, https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr/vol17/iss1/3. This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. THE MARGARET CHASE SMITH ESSAY The Margaret Chase Smith Essay to Senator Smith, we have elected two grow up imagining that one day they will Republican women, Olympia Snowe and become governor or president. Indeed, “These Very Susan Collins, to the office of U.S. Senator. studies have shown that most women This year Maine Democrats hope to send a need to be encouraged to run, and that Impelling woman, Chellie Pingree, to Congress from was certainly true in my own case. I grew the first district. Our state legislature ranks up with a Democratic mother and a high in the percentage of elected women, Republican father who cancelled each Reasons Against but we are still far from equal numbers. other’s votes for half a century. Political According to the Center for American discussions were common at our dinner My Running”: Women and Politics’ Web site (www. table; my parents often disagreed, but were CAWP.Rutgers.edu), in Maine’s legislature able to laugh about it. But it would never Maine Women only 12 of 35 senators (34.3 percent) and have occurred to my mother that she might 46 of 151 representatives (30.5 percent) run for political office. In high school I and Politics are women. ran for student council president and lost Women filled a higher percentage of to a boy. My mother explained that “boys by Mary Cathcart Maine house seats when I was first elected always win,” and encouraged me to try for in 1988 and of senate seats in 1996, the office of vice president. That was the when I was elected to that body. We have end of my political ambition until many Forty-four years ago, Margaret had one woman speaker of the Maine years later, when I had brought up my chil- Chase Smith made history, by launch- House of Representatives, two women dren and was working at Spruce Run, the ing her campaign for the Republican senate presidents, and a handful of women Bangor-area domestic violence program. presidential nomination. Despite losing elected to leadership positions in both While working at Spruce Run, I was the primary, Senator Smith put a crack in parties. But Maine has never even come asked to represent the Maine Coalition to the “glass ceiling,” and her story continues close to electing a woman governor. End Domestic Violence on a committee to to inspire girls and women to follow in Nationally, the statistics on women in organize a statewide conference, work- her footsteps. This year, Senator Hillary political office are more discouraging. In ing with representatives of the Maine Rodham Clinton came close to being the 110th Congress in 2007–2009, only Women’s Lobby and Maine Commission the Democratic nominee for president, 76 women (17.5 percent) hold seats in the for Women. Getting to know these intelli- and Sarah Palin, serving her first term House of Representatives while 16 women gent, assertive women led me to seek as Alaska’s governor, became the first (16 percent) serve in the Senate. On the appointment to the Maine Commission for Republican woman nominee for vice- judicial level, only two women have ever Women, and that experience gave me a president and only the second woman been appointed to serve on the United sense of how one person in elective office vice-presidential nominee in our history. States Supreme Court. can make a difference. I enjoyed testifying (Democrat Geraldine Ferraro was the Some research has found that when at legislative hearings in Augusta on first, in 194.) women run for office, at least on the local behalf of the commission, and during this Maine has been above average in level, their odds of winning are high; time, several people—both women and electing women to office. In addition however, it is true that most girls do not men—suggested that I should run for · MAINE POLICY REVIEW · Summer 200 View current & previous issues of MPR at: www.umaine.edu/mcsc/mpr.htm THE MARGARET CHASE SMITH ESSAY office. I demurred, assuming I’d never women leaders and encourages them to political participation among women in make it, but in 1988, my state representa- consider public service. Maine. Participants will gain a greater tive, who was running for state senate, The University of Maine’s Margaret awareness of their own leadership poten- asked me to run for his seat. So I became Chase Smith Policy Center was accepted tial, their skills, and opportunities in civic a politician, and found I enjoyed it! Maine this year as a development partner by life and public office. NEW Leadership people still expect local candidates to Rutgers, and Policy Fellow Rebekah Smith will honor Margaret Chase Smith’s knock on their doors. My rural district and I were invited to participate in and extraordinary courage by ensuring that included the towns of Eddington and observe the NEW Leadership program new generations of Maine’s female leaders Clifton, and I would start at the end of there, to prepare us to launch Maine NEW will understand the importance of running a road and knock on every door, working Leadership in 2009. for office, taking part in campaigns, and my way back to Route 9. I was doubtful NEW Leadership is open to female engaging in public policy development. whether a woman with a “from away” college students of all ages and back- Margaret Chase Smith knew the odds accent would be accepted, but I found that grounds, and the women in the Rutgers were against her being elected president, most people welcomed me into their program were a diverse group. On the first and even against her becoming a candi- homes, and many men and women replied night of the program, participants were date, but she had the courage to stand up to my greeting, “Hello. I am Mary Cathcart, divided into small discussion groups. The and serve as a role model for countless and I am running for the legislature,” with topic was the 200 presidential election, other women; when nominated for presi- “I am glad to meet you because we need and the students were told not to get into dent in 1964, she stated, “…because of more women in office.” One advantage which candidate they support, but rather these very impelling reasons against my I had as a woman candidate was a large to talk about this election in a historical running, I have decided that I shall.” network of friends from Spruce Run, my context. Regardless of which candidate or church, and other community activities. party they had favored, the young women I won that first election, but I am sure I talked about Barack Obama and Hillary would never have dared to run if I hadn’t Clinton having broken down barriers. been asked. To keep the process going, Whether or not they thought Senator in 2004, when I was forced to leave the Clinton was the best qualified, they talked Maine Senate because of term limits, my about how her candidacy would make husband suggested that Emily Ann Cain it easier for other women to run for the would be a great legislator. So, we asked highest office in the land. They also Emily to run, and now she is serving as spoke about racism and sexism, and Orono’s state representative, and helping how offended they felt that a woman to recruit other women candidates. of achievement such as Senator Clinton As a state legislator, I learned of the was subjected to vulgar slurs. Some said Center for American Women and Politics the media had been unfair to the woman (CAWP), in the Eagleton Institute of candidate, criticizing her clothing, her Mary Cathcart is a senior policy Politics at Rutgers University. CAWP laugh, and some commentators even associate in the Margaret Chase conducted research on women in politics accusing her of “faking” tears in New Smith Policy Center, University of and sponsored a national forum for Hampshire. The students commented that Maine. She served three terms in women state legislators where we heard sexist comments are still acceptable, while the Maine House of Representatives, from prominent women and learned about most people nowadays would condemn a research on women running for office. In racist slur. It would be interesting to hear followed by four terms in the Maine 1991, CAWP established a leadership what this diverse group of young women Senate. While in the legislature, she education program for college women, would say about press coverage of vice chaired the Joint Select Committee National Education for Women (NEW) presidential nominee Sarah Palin. on Research and Development, the Leadership, with the goal of creating I am honored to have been chosen Children’s Mental Health Oversight opportunities for young women to to bring the NEW Leadership program Committee, and several study become engaged and involved in public to Maine college women in June 2009. life. NEW Leadership aims to give young With involvement from Maine women commissions.
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