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8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018 US sees surge in women interested in running for office Frustration over election of Trump By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press ATLANTA — Inside a classroom at a com- munity college in Dallas, about two dozen women took turns sharing their names, home- towns and what they hoped would be their future titles. Congresswoman. State representative. County judge. It was part of a training held by EMILY’s List, an organization dedicated to electing women at all levels of government who support abortion rights. One of the presentation’s Pow- erPoint slides flashed a mock advertisement on the projector screen: “Help Wanted: Progres- sive Women Candidates.” A record number of women appear to be answering that call, fueled largely by frustra- tion on the Democratic side over the election of President Donald Trump and energized by Democratic women winning races in Virginia in November. Experts say 2018 is on track to be a historic year, with more women saying they are running at this point than ever before. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List. “Every day, dozens more women come to our website, come to our Facebook page and say, ‘I am mad as hell. I want to do something about it. What should I do now?’” In the four weeks after the 2016 election, 1,000 women came to the group’s website to learn about running for office. That number has now surpassed 26,000. By comparison, the group was in contact with 960 women for the previous election cycle. Whether all that enthusiasm will result in full-fledged campaigns and translate to gains in the number of women elected to office remains to be seen. Although women are more than half the American population, they account for just a fifth of all U.S. representatives and senators, and one in four state lawmakers. They serve as governors of only six states and mayors in roughly 20 percent of the nation’s most popu- lous cities. AP Photos/LM Otero Letitia Plummer, a Houston dentist and candidate for Congress to represent Texas District 22, is applauded during a women’s candi- date training workshop at El Centro College in Dallas in December. Women’s March For Sarah Riggs Amico, the executive chair- woman of a major auto hauling company, last year’s Women’s March in Atlanta ignited her interest in running for office. “It was something that really lifted me up and made me want to demand better from my government,” said Amico, who recently announced plans to run for lieutenant governor in Georgia. Sol Flores has been walking in marches with her mother in Chicago since she was a lit- tle girl, but never thought she would run for office. Now 44, Flores said she was enraged by policies put forward by the Trump administra- tion and decided to jump into a crowded Dem- ocratic primary for Illinois’ 4th Congressional District. Flores said her network of friends has been crucial to helping her navigate the realities of being a first-time candidate and the challenges of gathering signatures for qualifying and fundraising. “Women are really good at this, saying, ‘Let’s sit down and figure this out. You raised your hand, and let’s win. Let’s go to Washing- ton, D.C.,’” said Flores, the executive director of a nonprofit helping homeless families and at-risk youth. The last time the U.S. saw a surge in women running for office was 1992, in the wake of Anita Hill’s testimony before an all-male U.S. Senate committee weighing the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court. It was called the “Year of the Woman” because women were elected to the U.S. House and Senate in record numbers. Lianna Stroster posts a sign directing to a women’s candidate training workshop at El Centro College in Dallas. The number of women in office has held steady in recent years, but experts say condi- tions are ripe for an increase in 2018 — espe- cially if more politicians are forced to step down or retire amid the growing #MeToo movement that began with accusations of sexual miscon- duct against Hollywood mega-producer Harvey Weinstein. One U.S. senator and four congressmen have so far announced plans to retire or not seek re-election following allegations against them, presenting a prime opportunity for women to compete for their open seats. For example, seven women have expressed interest in an April special election for an Arizona congres- sional seat. The increase in women candidates is largely being seen in U.S. House and governor’s races next year and driven primarily by Democrats, said Debbie Walsh, who leads the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers Uni- versity. In addition to the 50 Democratic and 10 Republican congresswomen expected to run for re-election, there are 183 Democratic women and 14 Republican women running in primaries to challenge their current U.S. representative. Uphill races These can be uphill races, but many of the women running say they were encouraged by what happened in Virginia in November, when 30 percent of the women who challenged their state representative won. Katie Hill is among those seeking to oust her local congressman, Republican Rep. Steve Knight in California’s 25th Congressional Dis- trict, a key Democratic target this year. As an advocate for the homeless, Hill recalled the joy she felt on the night of the 2016 election when voters in Los Angeles passed a $1.2 billion bond measure for housing and ser- vices for homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless. But that was quickly tempered by the outcome of the presidential election. “November made us all realize that our country is not where we need to be,” Hill said. “And that’s the point when people start to stand up and say, ‘If no one else is going to fix, I’m going to.’” It’s not just Democrats. First-time Republi- can and Libertarian women candidates are also jumping into the mix. Republicans launched an effort in 2012 that is focused on electing women. Under the “Right Women, Right Now” program, 390 new GOP women have been elected since then. “Twenty-five percent of state legislators are women, and that’s clearly insufficient,” said Matt Walter, head of the Republican State Leadership Committee. “That’s a Democratic and Republican number, and something we really felt strongly was something we needed to change.” Tiffany Shedd, a lawyer for small businesses who lives on a farm in Eloy, Arizona, said she was talking with her husband one evening ear- lier this year about the importance of having someone representing them in Congress who will fight for rural communities. She said he challenged her to run. “I said, ‘I can’t run. What’s a person from a little town in Arizona doing running for Con- gress?” Shedd said. “And then I thought, ‘Wow — that is exactly what we need.’” She will be running in the Republican pri- mary in the hopes of challenging Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran in November. On the state level, 36 governor’s races will be contested in 2018. The Center for Amer- ican Women and Politics says 49 Democratic women, including two incumbents, and 28 Republican women have indicated they will run for those seats. There has never been more than nine women serving as governor at the same time. Even if all the women who have reached out to groups such as EMILY’s List do not end up running next year, they are expected to play key roles in supporting those who do. “This is the next decade of candidates,” Schriock said. Associated Press photographer Matthew Otero in Dallas contributed to this report. CL ASSIF IE D M ARK ETPL A CE P lace classified ad s o n lin e at w w w .d ailyasto rian .co m o r call 503-325-3211 107 Public Notices Occasionally other companies make telemarketing calls off classified ads. These companies are not affiliated with The Daily Astorian and customers are under no obligation to participate. If you would like to contact the attorney general or be put on the do not call list, here are the links to both of them Complaint form link: http://www.doj.state.or.us/ finfraud/ 181 Lost & Found Our Boy A gray short-haired neutered cat missing in Seaside near Safeway for over a week. Reward! (503)717-3103 OR (503)717-3301 251 Boats for Sale 181 Lost & Found Letters to the Editor A good newspaper is a two-way street. You learn from us and we learn from you. Open Forum • PO Box 210 Astoria, OR 97103 T HE D AILY A STORIAN Missing-English Springer Spaniel Liver/White Lost in Astoria around a week “Serenity” Please call! Reward! (360)496-8941 (360)355-7180 (360)751-4466 If You Live In Seaside or Cannon Beach DIAL 503-325-3211 F OR A Daily Astorian Classified Ad 2018 27 LOA Xtaero XT24DV Long Cabin Twin Outboard Xtaero Boats seeks a demo owner willing to offset boat by allowing factory marketing. Businessmen near San Francisco and Valdez just took this offer. 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Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD at 1(800)669-9777. The toll free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1(800)927-9275. www.DailyAstorian.com 604 Apartments The ILLAHEE Apartments Large, newly updated 2 bedroom with panoramic views of River & Downtown Astoria. Quiet, private, covered parking, onsite laundry. Mature, responsible, good credit required. $1,275 to $1,495/mo. Avail. 1-05 & 1-16 503-325-2280 613 Houses for Rent Seaside Cottage Close to town and beach, 2 bedrooms, W/D, fresh interior, deck, fenced yard, no smoking, no pets. $800/month 503-738-2499 Go. Do. coastweekend.com dining • the arts • music shopping • museums • classes • movies gardening • news • blogs • more