Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures, Text Boxes, and Photos
- List of Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Contributors
- Introduction: Gender and Electoral Politics in the Early Twenty-First Century
- 1 Presidential Elections: Gendered Space and the Case of 2008
- 2 The 2008 Candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin: Cracking the “Highest, Hardest Glass Ceiling”
- 3 Voter Participation and Turnout: Female Star Power Attracts Women Voters
- 4 Voting Choices: The Politics of the Gender Gap
- 5 Latinas and Electoral Politics: Movin' on Up
- 6 African American Women and Electoral Politics: A Challenge to the Post-Race Rhetoric of the Obama Moment
- 7 Congressional Elections: Women's Candidacies and the Road to Gender Parity
- 8 Political Parties and Women's Organizations: Bringing Women into the Electoral Arena
- 9 Advertising, Web Sites, and Media Coverage: Gender and Communication along the Campaign Trail
- 10 State Elections: Why Do Women Fare Differently across States?
- Index
- References
7 - Congressional Elections: Women's Candidacies and the Road to Gender Parity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures, Text Boxes, and Photos
- List of Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Contributors
- Introduction: Gender and Electoral Politics in the Early Twenty-First Century
- 1 Presidential Elections: Gendered Space and the Case of 2008
- 2 The 2008 Candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin: Cracking the “Highest, Hardest Glass Ceiling”
- 3 Voter Participation and Turnout: Female Star Power Attracts Women Voters
- 4 Voting Choices: The Politics of the Gender Gap
- 5 Latinas and Electoral Politics: Movin' on Up
- 6 African American Women and Electoral Politics: A Challenge to the Post-Race Rhetoric of the Obama Moment
- 7 Congressional Elections: Women's Candidacies and the Road to Gender Parity
- 8 Political Parties and Women's Organizations: Bringing Women into the Electoral Arena
- 9 Advertising, Web Sites, and Media Coverage: Gender and Communication along the Campaign Trail
- 10 State Elections: Why Do Women Fare Differently across States?
- Index
- References
Summary
After losing in the midterm congressional elections in 2002, Democratic Party House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt announced that he would be stepping down. Immediately thereafter, California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who had been in Congress since 1987 and was serving as the Democratic whip, announced her candidacy. Pelosi quickly dispatched with two male rivals for the position and was elected to the post of minority leader. After Pelosi officially assumed the position, the Christian Science Monitor proclaimed in a headline: “Pelosi Shatters a Marble Ceiling.” The selection of Pelosi was truly historic, as she was the first woman in the 216-year history of the U.S. Congress to head one of the major parties. Although Pelosi was well known on Capitol Hill, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released right after her election found that 61 percent of the public was not sure who she was. But women's rights advocates were generally thrilled with the selection of Pelosi. Peg Yorkin, cofounder of the Feminist Majority Foundation noted, “Suddenly, in the midst of all those essentially gray, white men in the Republican leadership, you've got a friendly, intelligent, warm woman who doesn't stand on ceremony.… It's going to be something.” Pelosi continued as minority leader after the 2004 elections, which saw the Republicans retain control of the White House and both houses of Congress.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Gender and ElectionsShaping the Future of American Politics, pp. 187 - 209Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009