Courtesy of The Center for American Women & Politics

After Legislative Elections in Four States, Number of Women Remains Stuck – Women Edge Upward in Statewide Offices; Women of Color Gain in NJ

Women failed to gain ground in the 2011 state legislative elections, according to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

“With legislative contests in four states, even if every outstanding race is decided in favor of a woman, the national total will drop from the current number of 1740,” observed CAWP director Debbie Walsh. “The national total of women elected statewide will increase by just one — to 72 — as a result of elections in three states. It’s discouraging that we’re nowhere near the peak statewide number of 92 women, achieved in 2000.”

In addition, 18 of the nation’s 100 largest cities had mayoral races, with women candidates involved in eight. Three women emerged as winners: incumbents in Baltimore, MD and Houston, TX and an open- seat victor in Raleigh, NC. One race, in Spokane, WA, has not yet been called.

New Jersey

As a result of the 2011 elections, New Jersey’s legislature will have 33 women among its 120 members (27.5 %). With a total of 11 women in the Senate (8D, 3R) and 22 women in the Assembly (15 D, 7 R), New Jersey will rank 15th among the states for its proportion of women in the state legislature. The previous numbers were 10 women in the Senate and 24 in the Assembly.

“As recently as 2004, New Jersey was ranked in the bottom ten,” commented Walsh. “We’ve climbed steadily, but it takes sustained effort to encourage women to run and remind the parties to draw candidates from beyond their inner circles.” Walsh noted that CAWP’s own bipartisan Ready to Run TM campaign training has played a significant role in recruiting and preparing women to become candidates. About a quarter of the women who will serve in Trenton in 2012 have attended the program.

Those elected include 27 returning incumbents (18 D,9 R), 10 in the Senate (7 D, 3 R) and 17 in the Assembly (11 D, 6 R). The only new woman Senator, Nellie Pou (D-35) will move up from the Assembly, filling an open seat. Five newcomers will fill open Assembly seats, including one Republican, Holly Schepisi, and four Democrats, all women of color: Marlene Caride, Angelica Jimenez, Gabriela Mosquera and Shavonda Sumter.

The legislators include a record 15 women of color, all Democrats, including 5 in the Senate (3 African American women and 2 Latinas) and 10 in the Assembly (6 African American women and 4 Latinas.) The previous record number of women of color was 12 in 2011.

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The 2012 Project along with a number of organizations are working to recruit and train women to run for public office.  Get involved!  Check out resources here: http://electwomen.com/training-events/