Hi John,

Last week, we sent an email about The New York Times’ endorsement of 3 white male candidates running for Congress. I'm writing because last night all three of those men won their primaries. In the wake of a disappointing night for pro-choice female candidates, I want to make sure we're talking about the experience of running for office as a woman — and how we're going to fix it.

Chip in $20 or more to help us keep fighting so more pro-choice women can have a seat at the table. Women can WIN – we just need to elect them. →

As the results rolled in last night, one thing became abundantly clear: endorsements and institutional support are critical to a candidate’s success. Voters reference endorsements when deciding who to vote for – and qualified women get passed over for these kinds of endorsements on a regular basis.

For example, last night Nikki Fried lost her primary to a former Republican and anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ “Democrat”, Charlie Crist.

Despite Crist’s questionable record, he collected endorsements from countless Democratic institutions, solidifying a baseless narrative that he was the candidate who could win against Ron DeSantis in November (as a reminder, Crist has actually lost a handful of statewide elections in Florida in recent years).

So the candidate with a track record of losing somehow landed the institutional support of the Democratic Party in his primary against Nikki Fried – the only Democrat to win a statewide election in Florida since Obama.

We’re calling B.S.: Blatant. Sexism.

We saw similar results for our candidate Hava Holzhauer who ran for Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. She lacked support from many mainstream organizations, and last night, she lost to an opponent who is infamously known as a “DeSantis Democrat.”

Male candidates are seen as the “frontrunners”, the more “viable” options, and the “electable” choices. Endorsers see their candidacy as the path of least resistance. This makes life as a female candidate unimaginably harder.

We are currently working on something that will counteract these obstacles; we’re building the strongest support system for female candidates this country has ever seen.

We are more motivated than ever. Will you contribute $20 or more to join us in this fight?

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

This is why Her Bold Move exists. We understand the importance of supporting the perceived underdog in these races. We understand that, for the foreseeable future, female candidates will almost always be the underdogs in their races. Female candidates deserve an organization that prioritizes the pursuit of equal representation in our government over politics and perceived viability; an organization focused on changing the outcomes of elections – not predicting them.

To never accepting B.S. from anyone,

Jordan

Jordan Zaslow
Founder & Executive Director
Her Bold Move

---------- Forwarded message ---------

Hi John,

Over the weekend, The New York Times announced their endorsement of 3 New York congressional candidates. Of all the congressional candidates running in all of the New York congressional races, the NYT picked 3 white men. (To our white male allies, please keep reading, and we’ll tell you why this is important.)

It’s worth noting that all 3 of these endorsed candidates are in crowded primaries against viable, qualified women and/or people of color. THIS is yet another example of the institutional barriers to entry causing our vast underrepresentation in Congress (73% of U.S. representatives are male).

Women candidates get skipped over for important endorsements like this one on a regular basis. Often it's because these endorsements are based on fundraising numbers, incumbency, pedigree, favors, or the propensity to favor the status quo. We know women find themselves at a disadvantage in all of those categories compared to their male counterparts. Help support Her Bold Move’s endorsed candidates (100% pro-choice women!) by contributing $20 or more to our Primary Fund right now. →

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Women candidates offer lived experience when it comes to some of the most critical issues of this moment. An area in which all 3 of the male candidates endorsed by the NYT came up short in their interviews:

Not a single one of the NYT’s 3 picks knew how Plan B works – something they will likely be voting about if and when they are elected to Congress. In fact, both Jerry Nadler and Sean Maloney didn’t know the difference between Plan B (emergency contraception) and medication abortion…

Her Bold Move exists because, too often, women are left out of critical conversations – even when those conversations are about us. We are here to promote gender equality in our government by providing support to thoughtful, progressive, and pro-choice candidates who are too often overlooked by traditional institutions. There is a greater need for female representation in our government than ever before – and we need your help to ensure our candidates have the support they need to win.

Will you contribute $20 right now to our Primary Fund so we can continue to keep our candidates on the ballot ahead of the make-or-break midterm elections? → https://secure.actblue.com/donate/hbm_eom/

Forward,

Team Her Bold Move