Williamsport, Pa. — Just one week before Election Day, Emerge America held a virtual press conference where female leaders in battleground states spoke about their experiences. The Pa. Speaker of the House also elaborated on the “quiet woman vote” that could affect the upcoming election.
The panel of women hailing from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and other important swing states, was held on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Emerge America is a non-profit organization dedicated to recruiting and training Democratic women who run for office all over the country. The organization was founded in 2003 to assist Kamala Harris in running for the city of San Francisco’s district attorney.
Swing state panelists include:
A’shanti Gholar, President of EmergeJoanna McClinton, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of RepresentativesRebecca McNichol, Executive Director of Emerge PennsylvaniaMallory McMorrow, Michigan State Senate Majority WhipJanelle Bynum, Oregon State Representative and Democratic Candidate for Oregon’s 5th Congressional DistrictArvina Martin, Executive Director of Emerge Wisconsin
An especially strong aspect of Emerge, as put forth by each of the panelists, is their network of people who have a common goal of not just supporting their candidates, but seeking wins in their respective offices.
Executive Director McNichol stated that their organization is “throwing out” old strategies concerning a woman’s physical appearance while training them to run for office, and instead are focusing on showcasing the qualifications of their candidates, as well as providing support in their network of Democratic women.
Executive Director Martin praised the community of Emerge, saying, “the impact of this network is profound.”
While considering the toughest parts of campaigning as a woman, State Senator McMorrow reflected on an ad that was targeted at her during her run for her seat in 2018: a photo from social media of her on the beach holding a margarita was edited to have silky fabric draped over her reclined body, and a curling iron featuring the text “Vote no on Mallory McMorrow” was placed in the bottom of the graphic. McMorrow resented the ad, feeling that it portrayed her as a “silly girl” that wanted to run for office in the toss-up state of Michigan.
Senator McMorrow also spoke about the “quiet women vote” phenomenon that has been highlighted in election coverage recently, stating that it was apparent to exist in the swing state of Michigan.
Pennsylvania is a highly-contested battleground state in the upcoming presidential election. Both Harris and Trump, and their Vice Presidential candidates, have made several stops in Pa., including JD Vance’s recent visit to Williamsport.
An electoral victory in Pennsylvania is virtually necessary to win the next presidency. Pollsters have put out mixed findings of Pennsylvania’s projected election results, with most putting one candidate over the other by very slim margins depending on the day.
Williamsport hosts JD Vance rally as election countdown begins
As of Oct. 29, FiveThirtyEight has reported that an average of collected polling results put Trump about 0.2 points above Harris for Pennsylvania.
However, as one may recall from 2016’s presidential election, polls don’t always predict accurately. Trump’s win in Pennsylvania was a shock to pollsters as a vast majority predicted Clinton winning the state.
This supposed “quiet” faction of female voters may not be responding to polls as frequently as other demographics, and could be the group that ends up awarding Pennsylvania, and other battleground states alike, to Harris, according to several of the Emerge panelists.
NorthcentralPa asked Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Joanna McClinton, what she had to say to the women in rural Pennsylvania who may be considered quiet voters in the upcoming election.
“Vice President Harris and former President Trump are neck-and-neck because lots of voters are not telling who they’re going to vote for, and that’s fine. It is absolutely their decision and their business,” said Speaker McClinton.
“Women in Pennsylvania, who like myself, are very concerned about not only repercussions within your local community about who you’re vocally supporting and who you’re advocating for, because I said I live in a big blue democratic neighborhood, but many women do not, and that’s fine,” the Speaker said. “People don’t know that in Pa., 75 percent of our state is rural,” she continued.
“It is up to us. Every state is very important, and Pennsylvania is one of the very important states that will determine who who’s in the White House,” said the Speaker.
“When you go (to vote), do not worry about anybody knowing exactly who you chose, but know if you are concerned like me … go ahead and lift your voice on Election Day,” McClinton said. “Don’t be afraid.”
Reminder: it is public record of if you voted or not, but who you voted for is private information.
