海角大神

By any measure, the 2018 elections were historic: A record 117 women were elected to Congress, including the first two female Muslim representatives; almost 1,900 women (another record) were elected to state legislatures, nine to state governorships, and countless to local office. The New York Times declared 2018 the 鈥淵ear of the Woman.鈥�

They were largely reacting to the election of President Donald Trump, but other factors played a role. Hillary Clinton鈥檚 defeat, as well as the Republicans鈥� attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act and threat to overturn Roe v. Wade also propelled women into action. If the press and pundits talked endlessly about the tendency of women to devalue their qualifications and underestimate their abilities 鈥� known as 鈥渋mposter syndrome鈥� and 鈥渢he confidence gap鈥� 鈥� then this group of women were going to prove them wrong.聽

In 鈥淪ee Jane Win: The Inspiring Story of the Women Changing American Politics,鈥� award-winning journalist Caitlin Moscatello examines the resulting wave of first-time women candidates, focusing on four in particular. Former CIA agent Abigail Spanberger, a mother of three, decided to run for the House of Representatives against a conservative incumbent in a district that hadn鈥檛 elected a Democrat since 1971. London Lamar was a 26-year-old African American reproductive rights activist running for the Tennessee state legislature in defiance of local Democratic politicians who considered her too young. Catalina Cruz, an immigration lawyer who had grown up undocumented, set her sights on a seat in the New York State Assembly. And Anna Eskamani, an Iranian-American political activist and Planned Parenthood employee in Orlando, Florida, embarked on an unabashedly liberal campaign for the Florida House of Representatives in a centrist district.

Moscatello鈥檚 accounts of each campaign vividly illustrate how much harder most women have it than men when they run for office. Spanberger had to devise interview strategies to squash any impression that she was neglecting her children 鈥� something it鈥檚 unlikely a father would have had to worry about. Eskamani received an email falsely accusing her of having performed in an adult film, and threatening to out her if she didn鈥檛 end her campaign. And for women of color the challenges of racism ranged from the cosmetic to the potentially life-threatening. When Ayanna Pressley was campaigning for Congress in Massachusetts, she was encouraged to change her hair because her preferred style (Senegalese twists) wasn鈥檛 鈥減olished enough.鈥� When Sheila Stubbs, an African-American candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly, was campaigning door-to-door with her mother and eight-year-old daughter, someone called 911 to report a suspected drug dealer in the neighborhood.

Women must also walk a fine line that would be unheard of for most male candidates. If a woman emphasizes her qualifications, she鈥檚 often perceived as arrogant. She must appear confident, compassionate, and approachable. Moscatello鈥檚 account of how these women pulled off this balancing act makes 鈥淪ee Jane Run鈥� a primer on campaigning.聽

For example, Catalina Cruz had enjoyed a notable career in public service before she ran for an assembly seat. But to show a more personal side, she was advised to ask her mother to write a letter addressed to the public about how proud she was of her daughter. It was a sentimental tactic, but it worked: People called Cruz鈥檚 campaign office to say the letter from her mother was why they were voting for her.聽

Then there鈥檚 money. Women candidates often don鈥檛 have access to potential donors in highly lucrative fields, so fundraising requires them to ask more people for small amounts, or work harder to leverage their existing networks. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee doesn鈥檛 help matters for novice candidates: They allocate money to the campaigns they think will win and they measure the likelihood of winning by previous success in fundraising. None of this makes fundraising impossible, just more difficult for women. Ironically, small donations can ultimately be more valuable. As one political consultant put it, 鈥渁 small donor is not just a donor, they are a voter, and they will likely not go to the polls alone.鈥�

It鈥檚 a tribute to Moscatello鈥檚 skill as a writer that she can make topics like fundraising and myriad other facets of campaigning interesting. And the story she tells is a much needed on-the-ground account of the obstacles women entering politics face, and the victories that are possible. Readers of 鈥淪ee Jane Win鈥� will be fascinated, enlightened, outraged and, ultimately, inspired.聽