Last week, Mary Burke officially declared her candidacy in the 2014 gubernatorial election, and the announcement, while anticipated, left Wisconsin Democrats invigorated as she’s proven her ability to compensate for Gov. Scott Walker’s incredible political advantage. Burke not only has consummate experience making jobs in the private sector—allowing her to overcome Walker’s failed 250,000 jobs promise from 2010 and capturing the essence of the economic message Democrats always struggle with—but she also displays a certain level of authenticity. Unlike Walker, she isn’t a career politician jockeying for the next seat, only having served in a minor elected office since 2012.
However, what excites me most about Burke isn’t that she can tout a true job creation record or that she comes from outside the sharp partisan divide in Madison. It’s not that she might be able to unseat the formidable autocratic takeover that is Gov. Walker and the Republican Party of Wisconsin. One of the strongest reasons I stand with Mary Burke is because she is a woman.
It’s simple. We need more women in government. In the 21st century, the era of forward thinkers and social innovators, women in politics are far too rare. While females constitute half of the country’s population, only 98—that is, 18.3 percent—of the 535 seats in Congress belong to women. And while female representation is significantly disproportionate in the legislative branch, it’s not surprising that women legislators face less discrimination than do their executive counterparts. Executive roles, like governorships, require more than votes. Executives manage the operations and set the political and economic agendas. They are the bosses of their states, and prevailing stereotypes certainly prevent them from assuming such esteemed roles. Considering this gender bias they face, it’s no surprise that this year, of the 50 governorships, females control just five. If elected, Burke would be the first woman in Wisconsin to break this glass ceiling and join the good ol’ boys’ club.
Still, unequal representation itself is hardly the most important issue women in politics face. What’s much more pressing across the nation and in our state are the consequential policy choices affecting women that these male-dominated political institutions make. In Wisconsin, Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature have made it a priority to restrict women’s rights. This summer, Wisconsin Republicans made it mandatory that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinics, essentially closing one of the only four abortion facilities in the state. They’ve also eliminated women’s access to economic opportunity, repealing the Equal Pay Enforcement Act, which deterred employers from discriminating against their female employees. Shouldn’t women, like men, be free to make their own health decisions without the consent of their male-controlled government? Shouldn’t women expect to be treated equally for equal work? Until our male leaders catch up with the social realities of today, we need more female leaders like Mary Burke to protect us from these archaic, Draconian laws that effectively separate women into a distinct, inferior class.
Getting figures like Mary Burke elected to office in the upcoming election cycle won’t be an easy task. In Wisconsin, Walker has an almost insurmountable political advantage. He wasn’t just elected once, but twice in the gubernatorial recall of 2012 and has virtually unlimited monetary resources from right-wing special interest groups. In other states, women like Wendy Davis of Texas, Alison Lundergan Grimes of Kentucky, and Michelle Nunn of Georgia, while all inspiring, promising candidates, face tough statewide races in red states during a year expected to be difficult for Democrats. In addition to the steep gender bias the American people hold, these electoral conditions make their chances less than desirable.
Yet in spite of these troubles, it’s essential that we do our best to elect them. To truly understand why, look to Hillary Clinton. She’s not just the most successful female politician in the world, but she’s also the most significant global leader of her generation. Two years ago at the International Crisis Group, she said, “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” And she’s right. Throughout our history as a nation, women have been forced in the circles of the home and the family and haven’t been allowed out. In those nearly 250 years, we’ve become the first world democracy; we’ve ended slavery and given all citizens the right to vote; we’ve emerged as the world’s greatest military, economic, and political power—all this mostly due to the leadership of men. Imagine what can happen if we double our leadership’s potential. Imagine what we can do if we include more women. And we can start by supporting Mary Burke.
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