2010: Year of the Woman…Part 2?

1992 was dubbed “Year of the Woman” because voters sent record numbers of women to Congress – 24 to the House and five to the Senate.  Much of the momentum of the YotW was in response to the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings during Thomas’ Supreme Court nomination hearings.  Many women were outraged at how Ms. Hill was treated by the men on the Hill and decided more female representation was  needed in Congress.  Their discontent with “business as usual” in Washington led to a tsunami of change.  For  all of the gains made in 1992, the fact remains that 17 women are in the Senate and 75 in the House, including the first female Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.  It’s still a man’s world on Capitol Hill.  While those numbers signaled an improvement, it still shows a lack of progress in our country for women.  For example, in the Senate’s 220-year history, only 35 out of 1,897 senators, or 1.58%, have been women.  1.58%.  That’s an embarrassment.

However, another tsunami could be coming to Washington this November and women could be the big winners. 

Numerous polls have been released in the past weeks pointing to the growing dissatisfaction with all politicians in Washington, D.C.  Recent primaries and special elections have gone against incumbents in the House of Representatives and the Senate.  This anti-incumbent mood could sweep many women into Congress as voters seek to dismantle the status quo and put some new faces and ideas in our nation’s capital.  The “old boys club” in Washington could be in for a huge shake up.   The seeds of the potential gains were planted in the 2008 campaigns of Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton and in the Supreme Court nominations of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Consider the following: The Center for American Women and Politics counted 23 female Senate candidates, 216 House candidates, and 23 gubernatorial candidates.  Furthermore, another 26 women are contending for lieutenant governor positions and 77 for other statewide offices.  The face of Washington, D.C. could be changing on Election Day 2010 and I, for one, am hoping it does.

Tuesday night, November 2nd, will be “Must See TV”.  I know I’ll be watching.