Background:
The Missouri Women’s Leadership Coalition has been working in coalition with mainstream women's groups to encourage like-minded progressive women to run for office.

We have been working with the Missouri Women’s Leadership Coalition (MWLC), American Association of University Women (AAUW), Business and Professional Women (BPW), Missouri Women's Network (MWN), the Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus, the National Organization for Women (NOW), the National Women’s Political Caucus of Metro St. Louis, and the Missouri State Women’s Political Caucus.

Our goal is to energize the women in Missouri to take an active role in Missouri's politics and government. We want to educate Missouri women about running for office, working in political campaigns, and recruiting women to run.

We want to concentrate on smaller communities and rural areas where women are especially under-represented in public office, and resources for campaign training are scarce. While groups like the Women's Political Caucus and the Sue Shear Institute are active in Kansas City and St. Louis, women in small towns and rural areas have less support for political ambitions.  Women reaching out beyond their own district to support progressive candidates can help improve conditions for women statewide.

What have we learned?

We have learned two principle lessons about women and politics:

· Women need to feel almost over-qualified to run for an office, and are hesitant to take a leap or skip a level. Unlike men, they seem to feel more comfortable starting in the political “mail room.”

· Most women will not run for office unless they are asked.

What did we conclude?

We believe we need to hand women plenty of advice and details about how to run and win, match them with mentors, and strive to get as many women in the political pipeline as possible if we ever want to achieve political equity.

What is our strategy?
We are working to join forces with local progressive groups to work actively within their home communities throughout Missouri, to educate and inspire progressive women they know to run at all levels of government—especially the state legislature.  If there is a group of progressive women who want to work together, we will help them to organize.  Or if there is an existing progressive organization working for women’s rights, we work together in coalition with those groups that are already active in their community.

How do we see women throughout Missouri recruiting and supporting great progressive women candidates?
We picture women throughout Missouri sitting around a table, drinking coffee, learning about how to run for office and strategizing about women in their community who would be great at setting public policy.

· Start by tracking what offices are open in their communities or region, filing dates, and likely candidates. The group should brainstorms about potential female candidates. Our goal is to have pro-ERA, pro-choice women running at every level in every county of Missouri. (Did you know that there is a three-state strategy to finally ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and that Missouri is considered one of four likely states?)

· Local groups need to ASK and INSPIRE the women they know in their community that they think highly of to consider running for office.

· It’s a great idea to work in coalition with other organizations such as MWLC to EDUCATE progressive women candidates.

· A local group needs to SCREEN and ENDORSE candidates in their districts.  The ERA PAC does this statewide, and can lend assistance.

· A local support group can make all the difference in the world.  Band together to WORK for identified candidates to raise money, and volunteer on their campaign staffs.

 

How does the MWLC work with the local groups?

The MWLC works with local affiliate groups in a variety of ways, including:

· Meeting with a group to get them organized, or as requested to offer expertise.

· Provides speakers for special meetings and public events sponsored by progressive groups.

· Provides candidate training seminars throughout Missouri.

· Provides a mentor for your candidates to help develop a winning campaign plan and campaign strategies.

· Provides periodic campaign assessments and advice for candidates.

· Assists with fundraising for candidates through the PAC and statewide supporters.

 

Local Affiliates

Education Partner of the Missouri ERA PAC

Missouri Women’s Leadership Coalition