During this election season, Women’s eNews asked our top reporters to focus on the critical issues facing women. In fact, they reported back, 2004 may be the most significant national election for women’s issues since 1992 and perhaps since women were granted the vote in 1920.
The major party presidential candidates express views that are often contrary and, depending on who prevails, could deeply affect the well-being of women in the U.S. and across the globe. President George W. Bush is anti-choice and Candidate John Kerry is pro-choice; our reporters will seek stories that reveal how these policies could affect women’s daily lives. With the help of a generous grant from the Open Society Institute, Women’s eNews will also seek out the other women’s issues and provide you with in-depth looks on the two candidates’ positions and records.
In addition, most incumbent female members of the House and Senate are running strong. Thus those new female candidates who have a good chance of being elected could dramatically increase women’s presence in the Congress and the statehouses. Again, as part of the special project funded by the Open Society Institute, Women’s eNews will tell you who these candidates are, what they stand for and what issues their campaigns are facing. We will also provide regular updates on the congressional and gubernatorial races in which women’s issues are paramount.
Click here to view Women’s eNews exclusive pro-choice election map–all the races where choice is a central issue (and noting those in which neither candidate supports women’s reproductive health.)
Below are the headlines, summaries and links to the Campaign 2004 Women’s eNews coverage:
Women Capture Key Congressional Positions
By Robin Hindery
In the huge turnout for this year’s many fierce congressional races, women captured some key positions, increasing their presence notably in the House and holding steady in the Senate.
Run Date: 11/9/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2061
Choice Activists Brace for Roe-less Era
By Molly M. Ginty
Fearing that a re-elected Bush will succeed in his campaign to overturn constitutional protection for women’s reproductive rights, pro-choice advocates are bracing for the possibility that abortion will become illegal in the United States.
Run Date: 11/8/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2060
Kerry and Women: Too Little, Too Late
By Robin Hindery
In an election that was anything but average, the voting gender gap nonetheless narrowed to its average distance. Analysts puzzle over why this happened and what it means for future candidates and campaigns.
Run Date: 11/7/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2059
Campaign Coverage of Women Was Way Off
By Sheila Gibbons
Amid the avalanche of press attention to mythical security moms and “Sex and the City” singles, Sheila Gibbons is grateful for the coverage that did not treat women–the majority of the electorate–as a small and newly discovered special-interest group.
Run Date: 11/4/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2055
Women’s eNews to Watch 36 Pro-Choice Races Tonight
By Robin Hindery
Women’s eNews will be monitoring the presidential race as well as congressional races in which choice is an issue, publishing hourly updates as soon as the polls close tonight. Go to our interactive map for continuous reporting on races in your state.
Run Date: 11/1/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2053
Goodman Opines on Women’s Issues, Election
By Elizabeth Mehren
Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman has made women’s issues a priority in her opinion writing. In covering the upcoming presidential election, Goodman has fought to keep issues like economic equity and reproductive rights on the table.Run Date: 11/1/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2050
Night of Terror Leads to Women’s Vote in 1917
By Louise Bernikow
November 14, 1917: “Night of Terror” So Women Can Vote.
Run Date: 11/1/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2048
Bush, Kerry: Stark Opposites on Repro Rights
By Molly M. Ginty
Women’s eNews looks at the records of both presidential candidates in regards to reproductive choice.
Run Date: 10/30/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2051
Business Owners Push for Share of U.S. Contracts
By Marianne Sullivan
Female small business owners still don’t receive their mandated 5 percent of federal contracts. Now, these woman are banding together to voice their complaints, which they say they will take to the voting booths on Tuesday.
Run Date: 10/29/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2047
Late-Term Abortion Saved These Women’s Lives
By Molly M. Ginty
As the so-called Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act enters the campaign-season debate, three women who have had third-trimester abortions are fighting to preserve access to a procedure that may have saved their lives.
Run Date: 10/28/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2046
Commentary: Rambo-Style Campaigns Crack Up the Young
By Mary S. Hartman
The high-testosterone, low-substance quality of the presidential campaign makes young people just laugh. And that could mean that the time for women’s leadership–which seems so distant this year–could be sooner than it appears.
Run Date: 10/27/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2043
California’s Prop 71 Divides Debate on Stem Cells
By Rebecca Vesely
An alliance of pro-choice activists in California is splitting with usual allies to oppose a popular stem-cell research proposition. The group says the initiative does not adequately protect poor women from becoming a biological marketplace.
Run Date: 10/26/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2042
Florida’s Castor Wages Fight of Her Career
By Nancy Cook Lauer
As she struggles to win a seat in the U.S. Senate, Betty Castor is in the fight of her career. In the latest debate, the EMILY’S List favorite challenged her opponent by voicing support for choice and stem-cell research.
Run Date: 10/23/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2040
Candidates Differ Starkly on Women’s Wage Issues
By Robin Hindery
Working women represent about 65 million votes, a huge portion of the U.S. electorate. Here’s a look at how the two candidates might help or hurt their pocket books.
Run Date: 10/22/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2037
Walking the Walk in Central Florida
By Juhie Bhatia
After jetting into Central Florida to help rouse registered voters, I found the people were quite ready to talk. Beyond politics, one man wondered how I felt about adding a birdbath to the picture he was painting of his house.
Run Date: 10/22/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2038/context/ourdailylives
Commentary: If Roe Falls, States Offer Little Protection
By Ann Pappert
Federal protection of abortion could easily be put at risk by a second Bush term. That’s why women should pay vigorous attention to abortion policy in their states, where anti-abortion activists have been furiously at work.
Run Date: 10/20/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2034
Democrat’s Top Senate Seat Could Turn Anti-Choice
By Allison Stevens
If Tom Daschle can’t hang on to his Senate seat, Democratic leadership could go to a Nevada Mormon who does not support a woman’s right to make her own reproductive decisions.
Run Date: 10/17/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2032
Women’s Vote in 2004 Remains Great Unknown
By Robin Hindery
From cell phones that leave many young women out of pollsters’ reach to disputable theories about a “marriage gap” and how the war is affecting female voters, pollsters wonder where the powerful women’s vote is heading in this election.
Run Date: 10/13/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2027
Pollsters Call ‘Security Moms’ a Myth
By Dan De Luce
“Security moms” have caught the imagination of political pundits and reporters in this year’s presidential campaign, but do they really exist? Pollsters say it’s a myth and that women are leaning towards Kerry.
Run Date: 10/12/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2024
Intense Efforts Underway to Mobilize Female Voters
By Allison Stevens
President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry along with a wide array of activist groups are reaching out to female voters, who comprise one of the electorate’s largest and most reliable voting blocs.
Run Date: 10/08/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2020
Women’s Questions for the Next Bush-Kerry Debate Members of the Women’s eNews community–award recipients, reporters, commentators, readers –have questions they wish they could ask at the presidential candidates’ town-hall style debate televised on Friday. Here is a sample.
Run Date: 10/06/04
(Editor’s Note: The following is a commentary. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily the views of Women’s eNews.)
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2017
U.S. Success in Afghanistan Questioned by Experts
By Dan De Luce
As Afghanistan looks toward elections, advocates say the U.S. has betrayed its promises to women in the formerly Taliban-ruled country. The Bush administration denies the charges and cites the liberation of Afghan women in its reelection campaign.
Run Date: 10/04/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2013
Anti-Choice Dems Say Its Their Party Too
By Bhatia and HinderyAnti-choice Democrats are fighting for inclusion in their party and say they should not be ignored as Democrats battle for control of the House and Senate. Run Date: 10/01/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2008
Stem Cells May Swing Voters
By Molly M. Ginty
Embryonic stem cells have the potential to cure devastating diseases. With women more likely to support further research on stem cells, the issue may also have the potential to widen gender gap this presidential election.
Run Date: 09/30/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2007
Campaign Coverage Ignores Women’s Concerns
By Sheila Gibbons
Campaign coverage is largely ignoring the issues that matter most to women. To correct that, Sheila Gibbons offers reporters a look at what women want from a president and advice on chasing down the story between now and Election Day.
Run Date: 09/29/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2006
Berkeley Debates Decriminalizing Prostitution
By Kristin Bender
Voters in Berkeley, Calif., are considering a measure that would decriminalize prostitution in their city. If approved, the plan would redirect more social services to prostitutes. But critics say the measure will only enable pimps to profit more freely.
Run Date: 09/28/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2005
Granny D Fights Uphill Battle for Senate Seat
By Elizabeth Mehren
Doris Haddock, the 94-year-old Democratic candidate for New Hampshire’s U.S. seat, is fighting an uphill battle in her campaign. But Granny D says her emphasis on social policy may cause voters to change their mind come Election Day.
Run Date: 09/27/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2004
Abortion Ban Found Unconstitutional for Third Time
By Cynthia L. Cooper
A judge in Nebraska has joined his counterparts in New York and San Francisco and declared the so-called Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional. The ruling could spell the end of the 2003 ban.
Run Date: 09/09/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1982
600 Pro-Choice Republicans Crowd ‘Big Tent’ Gala
By Cynthia L. Cooper
Pro-Choice Republicans made their presence known this week at the Republican National Convention. Speaking out against the anti-choice views of Bush and the party platform, these delegates say they provide the “Big Tent” for their party.
Run Date: 09/01/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1973
Women’s Poverty Deepens Amid Slow 2003 Recovery
By Marianne Sullivan
Even though 2003 was a year of economic recovery, it was not a good year for women. As the gender wage gap widened, the poverty rate for women and girls increased for the third straight year while more single-mother families were pulled into poverty.
Run Date: 08/30/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1968
Barbara Bush Tells Women What ‘W’ Stands For
By Jodi Enda
On the first day of the Republican National Convention, the Bush-Cheney campaign reached out to female votes with the “W Stands for Women” event. Over the weekend, protestors voiced opposition to Bush’s record on women’s issues.
Run Date: 8/31/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1970
EMILY’s List Takes Heat in Florida Primary:
By Nancy Cook Lauer
Controversy has erupted in a key Senate race in Florida. EMILY’s List, the political action committee that supports pro-choice female Democrats, is being charged with illegally coordinating campaigns with Democratic front-runner Betty Castor.
Run Date: 8/26/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1963
Special Women’s Equality Day Essay:
By Rita Henley Jensen
In a special message on Women’s Equality Day, Women’s eNews editor in chief Rita Henley Jensen outlines the political coverage the news service will provide throughout the election campaign.
Run Date: 08/25/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1962
Spending on Pro-Choice Vote Surges:
Cynthia L. Cooper
As campaign finance reform leaves them more chance to flex their political muscle, pro-choice groups are shaking their money trees. They are expected to spend $50 million to help candidates, get out the vote and run last-minute political ads.
Run date: 8/23/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1958
Majette to Run for Senate; Olympic Athletes Strip:
Denise Majette made history this week, becoming the first woman and first black candidate nominated to the U.S Senate in Georgia.
Run Date: 8/14/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1948/
Missouri Women Win; Vatican Denounces Feminism
Missouri voters elected five pro-choice women in Democratic state primaries on Tuesday, moving the candidates closer to state and federal office.
Run Date: 8/07/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1941/
Female Candidates Work the Convention Hall:
By Juhie Bhatia
Four female candidates–Betty Castor, Nancy Farmer, Allyson Schwartz and Diane Farrell–tirelessly worked women’s events at the Democratic National Convention. Here’s a quick look at each of their races.
Run Date: 7/30/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1929
Female Firebrands Heat Up Dem Convention:
By Molly M. Ginty
Leading female Democrats at the party’s national convention are moving from one women’s event to the next and hammering home the party’s need to address work-force and healthcare issues that are of special concern to female voters.
Run Date: 7/29/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1928
Women’s Groups Energize Democratic Convention:
By Jodi Enda
Women’s rights groups at the Democratic National Convention say they will throw everything they have into the Kerry-Edwards campaign. But they wish that more funds were directed to reaching women, a big segment of undecided voters.
Run Date: 07/28/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1927
Poll: Silent Majority in GOP Supports Choice:
By Cynthia L. Cooper
In preparation for the GOP convention that begins in August, a faction that supports choice for women is battling for more party turf. It was spurred by a recent poll that found most Republicans viewed abortion as a personal decision. Run Date: 06/28/04
https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1888/
Three-Part Series on Women and Health Care:
By Molly G. Ginty
Women’s eNews asked health specialist Molly M. Ginty to carefully examine the state of health insurance in the U.S. and the plans supported by President George W. Bush and Democratic nominee John Kerry. The result is the following in-depth analysis.
Run dates: 03/21/04;05/18/04;05/31/04https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1965/
Ann Telnaes Commentoon: Partial Birth Abortion https://womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1175
