The AP news article reprinted in the Arizona Daily Star today (“Even untainted by scandal, women lag noticeably in electoral sphere”) discusses why less women run for political office. (click here):

The number of women in Congress has plateaued since 2007, with just 17 women in the 100-member Senate and 72 in the 435-member House. In state legislatures nationwide, 1,738 lawmakers are women, compared with 1,809 last year, and the percentage of women holding statewide office has fallen from 27.6 percent in 2001 to 21.9 percent today. Just six states have female governors.

We are one of those states with a woman Governor, Jan Brewer, who just won her own term in November, 2010 after taking over in January 2009 when then-Governor Janet Napolitano left to become head of federal Homeland Security. Brewer is a Republican and Napolitano is a Democrat.

I wrote about women candidates in last year’s Arizona elections (click here) and many women ran for almost all races in the legislature and state-wide offices.

In the current 2011 election for the City of Tucson, only one woman (Mary DeCamp, a Green Party member) is running for Mayor. Councilmembers Karin Uhlich (Ward 3) and Shirley Scott (Ward 4) were considering bids for Mayor as well, but opted to stay in their Council seats. In Wards 1, 2 and 4, women are running: Democratic Councilmember Regina Romero for re-election, Republican challenger Jennifer Rawson, and Democratic Councilmember Shirley Scott for re-election.

On the Southern Arizona legislative front there are several women politicians: LD 25 Senator Gail Griffin (R), LD 25 House Rep. Peggy Judd (R), LD 26 House Rep. Terri Proud (R), LD 27 Senator Olivia Cajero Bedford (D), LD 27 House Rep. Sally Ann Gonzales (D), LD 28 Senator Paula Aboud (D), LD 29 Senator Linda Lopez (D). And CD 8 is represented in U.S. Congress by Democrat Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from that tragic shooting on January 8, 2011.

I think women don’t run because politics is still perceived as a “dirty game”, with long hours and often disagreeable constituents and issues. Plus women may still have to multi-task with children, meal preparation/housework, etc.

What do you think readers? The AP article goes on to say that perhaps more women should run for office, due to the number of recent sex scandals involving male politicians (i.e. former VP candidate/U.S. Senator John Edwards, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Congressman Anthony Weiner). The assumption there is that perhaps women politicians wouldn’t fall prey to sexual temptations or scandals.

Back in March, during Women’s “Herstory” month, I blogged about the rise of women politicians in Arizona (click here). Coming up is Women’s Equality Day on August 26, celebrating the suffrage movement allowing women the right to vote.

So now as we head into the Arizona primary on Tuesday August 24, here’s a list of the women candidates and politicians up for re-election in Arizona (and mostly Southern Arizona). D stands for Democratic Party, G for Green Party, R for Republican Party.

–U.S. Senate: Dr. Cathy Eden (D) candidate
–U.S. House: Ruth McClung (R) in CD 7, candidate
–U.S. House: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D) in CD 8, incumbent

–Governor Jan Brewer (R), incumbent
–Sec. of State: Michelle Lochmann (G), write-in candidate
–Attorney General: Felecia Rotellini (D), candidate
–Treasurer: Barbara Leff (R), candidate
–Superintendent of Public Instruction: Margaret Garcia Dugan (R), candidate;
Penny Kotterman (D), candidate;
Dr. Beth Price (R), candidate
–Corporation Commission: Brenda Burns (R), candidate

–State Senate LD 25: Gail Griffin (R), candidate, former legislator
–State Senate LD 26: Cheryl Cage (D), candidate
–State Senate LD 27: Olivia Cajero Bedford (D), candidate, former legislator
–State Senate LD 28: Paula Aboud (D), incumbent
–State Senate LD 29: Linda Lopez (D), incumbent
–State Senate LD 30: Marian McClure (R), candidate, former legislator

–State House LD 25: Patricia Fleming (D), incumbent;
Peggy Judd (R), candidate
–State House LD 26: Terri Proud (R), candidate;
Nancy Young Wright (D), incumbent
–State House LD 27: Sally Ann Gonzales (D), candidate, former legislator
–State House LD 28: Mohur Sidhwa (D), candidate
–State House LD 30: Andrea Dalessandro (D), candidate;
Parralee Schneider (R), candidate

Seems like there’s now a woman candidate for almost every elected office in Arizona (except State Mine Inspector, which doesn’t quite seem like a woman’s job). But I could be wrong on that one. We have come a long way.

Vote wisely on or before August 24.

Women Writing Mystery, a panel discussion featuring local women mystery authors will be held on Tuesday, March 30, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. hosted by UA library special collections, in recognition of Women’s “Herstory” Month (March). The UA Main library is at 1510 E. University Blvd., west of Cherry Avenue.

Featured authors are: Rebecca Cramer, Susan Cummins Miller, Margaret Falk (aka J. Carson Black) and Elizabeth Gunn.

This program will “highlight the valuable contributions women mystery authors have made to literature through their portrayal of strong female protagonists and their insights into contemporary society.”

I heard Susan Cummins Miller and Elizabeth Gunn speak on a mystery writers’ panel at the 2nd Annual Tucson Festival of Books on March 14. Susan and I reconnected after several years, as our sons went to middle school together.

Special Collections houses the Women Mystery Writers’ Collection, which has an emphasis on Southwestern women mystery authors, including papers and manuscripts of best-selling author J. A. Jance of Tucson.

For more information contact Associate librarian Veronica Reyes-Escudero at 520-307-2774, reyesv@u.library.arizona.edu, website: www.library.arizona.edu/speccoll.

For Women’s “Herstory” Month of March, I’ve blogged about a women’s self portraits art talk, a domestic violence center (Hands of a Friend) in Green Valley, an Every Woman event at Old Town Artisans, women politicians, and now about women mystery authors.

It’s been a great month for community events about women!