Hi John,
 
Cori Bush made history this election when she became the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress.
 
Now, as Bush prepares for her new role in our legislature, she has laid out a challenge most freshman women candidates face when winning elections: “The reality of being a regular person going to Congress is that it's really expensive to get the business clothes I need for the Hill.”
 
The Guardian reports that Bush now finds herself “having to dress for a place where people are used to inordinate means: in 2018, the median net worth of a congressperson was $511,000, eight times that of the average US household. The majority of her colleagues at Congress are also millionaires -- meanwhile, Bush will not receive her first paycheck until after inauguration on 20 January.”
 
This challenge is not unique for Bush, but it is too common for women entering our political system. When AOC was elected, she noted that “there is so much policing of women… because Congress is not used to anybody who doesn’t look like the norm.” And as The Guardian further reports, there is a pressure for women to “look more expensive” than what they can afford as studies show that it will make them seem more competent than “poorer clothes.”
 
While clothing isn’t, and should never be, indicative of worth, we recognize that these are financial and societal challenges that might deter women from running for office (or even succeeding once they’re there). Some say that women like Bush have no right to complain, but until our system catches up, we’re considering a new initiative that would break financial barriers for newly elected congresswomen between Election Day and Inauguration Day, and we need to know where our supporters stand. Please click here to let us know your thoughts.
 
Thank you so much for taking our poll today.
 
A Woman’s Place
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
A Woman's Place PAC
PO Box 15320
Washington, DC 20003
United States