June 11, 2024

We are delighted to announce the success of our Susan N. Wilson NEW Leadership® New Jersey Class of 2024! NEW Leadership® is dedicated to fostering and empowering the next generation of leaders and educating students about women’s role in political leadership. The intensive curriculum was designed to equip participants with essential skills while providing insights into the realm of public leadership. Twenty-six students from schools across the Garden State delved into various facets of leadership, from effective communication strategies led by Karla Jackson-Brewer to insightful discussions facilitated by Ginger Gold Schnitzer, director of education and strategic initiatives at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.

The agenda featured interactive workshops, including sessions on the legislative process, creating impactful change, and mapping personal leadership journeys. Alyssa Dawson, chief of staff, Office of Senator Holly Schepisi and Assemblyman John Azzariti (R-39); Dr. Angela Garretson, chief officer, Office of Government and Community Relations, NJIT; Laura Matos, partner, MAD Global Strategies served as faculty in residence, spending the full three days generously providing their real world experience with the students. One of the program highlights was the Saturday evening Keynote talk delivered by Anathea Chino, the co-founder and executive director of Advance Native. That evening also included the presentation of the Hazel Frank Gluck Award to NEW Leadership® alum Petra Gaskins. Amidst student project presentations and heartfelt farewells, the program concluded with rousing remarks from Shanti Narra, deputy director of the Middlesex County Board of Commissioners, leaving students with a sense of empowerment and readiness to make a difference in the world of public service.

As part of our “The State View: A Deep Dive into Ten States” portion of the ongoing Women, Money, & Politics Watch 2024 project, CAWP Senior Scholar Kira Sanbonmatsu and Research Associate Shikshya Adhikari have now incorporated data for state candidates in Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, and Washington. 

This data includes campaign finance information for state legislative and statewide elective executive candidates and tracks averages of amounts raised from individual donors, self-financing, and small-dollar contributions with comparisons between men and women candidates, as well as partisan disparities. Check out the interactive data, which is filterable by women’s race and ethnicity, here.



Having previously incorporated Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, state candidate data for two of our key focus states, Florida and Massachusetts, still remains to be included in this data collection. Stay tuned for more updates.

Election Watch: Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota  

Primary elections on June 4th saw significant developments for women's political representation in Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. In Iowa, both incumbent women are expected to retain their seats in the U.S. House. Montana continues its long history without female congressional representation, though women are poised to maintain their statewide executive roles. New Jersey could see an increase in female representation in the U.S. House, despite not advancing any female Senate candidates. New Mexico may again achieve an all-woman U.S. House delegation, while South Dakota's single female nominee for the U.S. House faces a challenging race against an incumbent. 

Discover the latest insights from these primaries via CAWP's Election Watch. And keep an eye out for tomorrow’s release on today’s primary elections in Maine, North Dakota, Nevada, and South Carolina. 

Happy Pride Month from CAWP!

Throughout the month, CAWP social media channels will be highlighting LGTBQ+ milestone moments that have shaped the political landscape. Since Kathy Kozachenko's election to the Ann Arbor, Michigan city council in 1974 as the first openly gay or lesbian candidate to win political office in the United States, numerous LGBTQ+ leaders have followed in her footsteps, blazing trails in political arenas across the country. Follow us to see who we’re spotlighting on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.



For more comprehensive information about LGBTQ+ elected officials across America, we encourage you to explore the Victory Fund’s Out for America map. This resource provides an in-depth look at the representation achieved by LGBTQ+ leaders in various levels of government.