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Jan

28

(updated) SC First Lady: Not Enough Women in SC’s Elected Offices


From Greenville Online.com today:

South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford, in perhaps one of her last official duties as first lady, says not enough women are involved in politics in the state.

Sanford told a state GOP luncheon featuring three former first ladies on Thursday that during her two decades in the state she has seen great strides for women in business and the political world.

But she told an audience of about 200 there is still a long way to go. She said very few women are elected to office in South Carolina and not enough are involved in the system.

Additionally:

“Women understand conservative politics as much as any man I know,” Sanford said. “We run our households, we raise our kids and we don’t live beyond our means. We balance our checkbooks as we seek balance in our lives.”

“We can contribute, we do contribute and I think women should contribute,” she said.

Sanford said that during her time in the Governor’s Mansion she was able to reorganize operations and save the state $1.5 million to date.

I’ve written before and frequently remind people that South Carolina is the only state in the country whose state senate has ZERO women in it. ZERO.  Did you get that? ZERO. Also none in Congress or state-wide office.

Although I doubt that SC Gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley (R) and I have many similar thoughts on politics, I’m thrilled to see her tenacious run for the GOP primary.  At a minimum, she appears to be hard-working, smart and dedicated. Hopefully she’s other good things too like genuine, sincere and honest. You can see for yourself this evening as she debates the other three GOP candidates to replace Mark Sanford.

I would love to see Jenny Sanford (disclaimer: classmate at Georgetown but we did not know each other much at all, just a few mutual friends) do more to raise the profile of this dearth of women in SC, as she has done by endorsing Haley.  This is the 21st Century, and that state is soon to be led by a divorcée.  You’d kind of think that electing women would be right up there with modernity, even in the South.  I hope Jenny continues to speak out and use the influence she is perceived to have.

UPDATE: Politico offers this quote re: Jenny Sanford urging women to run for office in SC:

South Carolina’s soon-to-be-ex-first lady concluded her remarks by calling on the women in the room to help reform a state which is predominately run by white men.

“We have the power to change the course our state and nation are on by being involved, and making sure other common sense, conservative women are involved as well,” she said. “Thank you for the privilege of serving.”

Let’s see what she does next to follow that up.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:04 pm January 28th, 2010 in Campaigning, conservatives, Debates, Elections, Gender, Government, leadership, Politics, senate, Sexism, Statehouse, Women 

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