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Impact of Women on Statewide Ballot

September 16, 2004

Date:09-16-04

By: Bente Birkeland

State Capital Bureau

More women are running for Missouri's top state offices than ever before. Bente Birkeland has more on what impact this could have for Missouri politics.

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This fall Missouri voters have the power to elect women to five out of six statewide offices.

The women include four Democrats and two Republicans.

Republican Speaker of the House Catherine Hanaway says she's thrilled so many competent women are on the ballot.

Hanaway is now running for Secretary of State against Democrat Robin Carnahan.

Hanaway credits term limits for creating more political opportunities for women.

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Contents: All but one of the women running statewide got their start in the Missouri house or senate and worked their way up through the ranks.

Bekki Cook is the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor. In 1996 she was the only woman on the statewide ballot when she won her campaign for Secretary of State.

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And I think that helped them notice me and pay attention to my service and that's really helped me in this race here.

Cook says the high number of women running for statewide office could energize voters because having six women on the ballot is unprecedentedd.

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Contents: This is a good year for women to be running. I think that people are receptive to change and certainly we represent quite a bit of change.

Democratic Representative Barbara Fraser is says that change is still needed.

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Our state legislature for example has 22 percent women and that doesn't seem to represent the full body of citizens in our state.

But Rick Hardy, a political science professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia says he doubts the gender issue will affect voters. He claims democratic gubernatorial candidate Claire McCaskill is playing up her gender.

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You'll notice her signs it says Claire, and then a small McCaskill. That's a very significant move on her strategy. It says woman, and then democrat.

Some political experts say the democratic ticket traditionally attracts more women voters.

Michael Golden, the communications director for the Kerry Edwards campaign in Missouri says the issues democrats usually run on are important to women.

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We do feel good with the slate of strong women candidates and we do think it will be mutually beneficial for them as well as the democratic presidential ticket.

But Catherine Hanaway says, male or female, she thinks democrats do not have an advantage in the statewide raises.

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Women will look at the whole menu of issues. They're not restricted to a certain turf any more. They're gonna look at health care, taxation issues, jobs, and education. All those things that really have an impact on their lives and their families every day.

Even if the women fail to sweep the statewide races, Hanaway says the candidates have proven they can hold their ground.

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It won't be because there is a great disparity in financing or a base of support that any woman loses. And several ago, that might have been the case.

Attorney General is the only statewide race without a female nominee.

From the state Capital, I'm Bente Birkeland.