Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Sign up for our newsletter

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

        Orion Rummler · September 20
      • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

        Jessica Kutz · May 5
      • Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito argued abortion isn’t an economic issue. But is that true?

        Chabeli Carrazana · May 4
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

        Candice Norwood · October 11
      • Los Angeles has never elected a woman mayor. Karen Bass hopes to change that.

        Nadra Nittle · September 8
      • Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

        Candice Norwood · July 20
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • The 19th Explains: Why the nursing shortage isn’t going away anytime soon

        Mariel Padilla · September 23
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: What we know about Brittney Griner’s case and what it took to get her home

        Candice Norwood, Katherine Gilyard · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why the Respect for Marriage Act doesn’t codify same-sex marriage rights

        Kate Sosin · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why baby formula is still hard to find months after the shortage

        Mariel Padilla · December 1
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • From ballroom dancing to bloodshed, the older AAPI community grapples with gun control

        Nadra Nittle, Mariel Padilla · January 27
      • 'I'm planning on working until the day I die': Older women voters are worried about the future

        Mariel Padilla · June 3
      • Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders

        Jessica Kutz · May 31
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Election workers believe in our system — and want everyone else to, too

        Barbara Rodriguez, Jennifer Gerson · November 8
      • Voter ID laws stand between transgender people, women and the ballot box

        Barbara Rodriguez · October 14
      • Emily’s List expands focus on diverse candidates and voting rights ahead of midterm elections

        Errin Haines · August 30

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • 19th Polling
    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Election 2022
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

The 19th News(letter)

News from reporters who represent you and your communities.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Become a member

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley speaks as a surrogate of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren during a campaign event on Jan. 31, 2020, in Ames, Iowa.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley speaks as a surrogate of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren during a campaign event on Jan. 31, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Election 2020

Female surrogates make the case for candidates’ electability and appeal across Iowa

Democratic candidates are calling on women to energize potential caucus-goers.

Errin Haines

Editor-at-large

Errin Haines portrait

Published

2020-02-03 08:03
8:03
February 3, 2020
am

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

This story was co-published with The Washington Post.

Before making her final pitch to Iowa caucus-goers in Cedar Falls on Sunday, Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis unveiled a T-shirt in 2020 hopeful Amy Klobuchar’s signature campaign green, with a new message making the case for her candidacy in capital letters: AMY KLOBUCHAR CAN BEAT DONALD TRUMP.

Mathis, who was also joined by Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan before Klobuchar addressed the audience, underscored the message for both the faithful and fickle in the crowd on the eve of the caucuses.

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

“She is so talented, she is so smart … but overall, she can beat Trump and she can move the country forward — and those are the two things we’re looking for in a candidate,” Mathis said.

Across the Hawkeye State, it was women who were making the case over the weekend to anxious Iowans. While the state is lacking in racial diversity, with a population that is more than 90 percent White, more than half the residents are female. And women are the majority of the Democratic electorate in Iowa and primaries nationwide.

With many still unsure about who they think is the strongest candidate to defeat President Trump in November — the top issue for many Democrats — the task fell largely to female surrogates to argue for their candidates’ electability and energize the electorate here.

Veteran Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said the increased visibility of women as surrogates is “extremely new” on the caucus campaign trail.

“In the past, only a handful of women, including spouses, could command the floor,” Brazile said. “Now, we see evidence that women will claim our seats at the table, not only as candidates, or spouses, but chief surrogates and political strategists.”

Campaigning for Sen. Bernie Sanders four years ago, Nina Turner said, was “very lonely,” particularly as a woman. But the atmosphere in Iowa over the weekend marked a shift.

“It is very clear that the presence of women is front and center across campaigns,” said Turner, who is campaign co-chair for Sanders and campaigned for him in multiple cities across the state. “There are more of us. It shines a bright light and gives an opportunity for other women to say, ‘If this woman supports him, then I can support him, too.’ We are the lighthouse in this campaign.”

Sanders, one of four candidates at the top of polls in Iowa headed into the caucuses, has been endorsed by three of the four members of “the Squad,” the freshman congresswomen elected in 2018 who were part of the wave of women and people of color who helped usher in the most diverse Congress in U.S. history. Campaigning for Sanders at an event in Clive, Iowa, on Friday, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan — joined by fellow freshman and Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, as well as Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington — drew controversy for booing 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. She later apologized, saying that her “sisters-in-service onstage … deserve better.”

Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, also a member of the Squad and campaign co-chair for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, made her first trip to Iowa in recent days. Taking the stage at an event in Iowa City on Friday, she told the crowd, “This is what democracy looks like, and this is what a movement feels like.”

“Everyone in this room … you are powerful,” Pressley said. “You are writing history in this moment. We can’t do this work alone. We need a partner, and you will have that in Elizabeth Warren as our next president.”

Pressley is among three female co-chairs who campaigned for Warren this past weekend, along with Reps. Deb Haaland of New Mexico and Katie Porter of California, both of them also high-profile freshman congresswomen.

Joining Jill Biden on the stump for her husband on Sunday afternoon was his sister, Valerie Biden Owens, and Iowa’s freshman Democratic congresswomen Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer, who both talked about Joe Biden’s strength as a candidate, not only in terms of his experience and empathy but also in his ability to help elect down-ballot Democrats he would need to help him govern.

Stories by experienced reporters you can trust and relate to.

Delivered directly to your inbox every weekday.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

After hearing from several 2020 Democratic hopefuls over the year leading up to the Iowa caucuses, Judith Jaschke of Des Moines committed to supporting Biden early last year and said she has never wavered in her decision.

On Monday night, she’ll work for Biden as a precinct captain. She said she signed up for the role a month ago and has been calling friends and family in Iowa and across the country to persuade them to back Biden.

“My friends are feeling it,” said Jaschke, 52, who described the mood ahead of the caucuses as exciting but stressful. “We’re not just choosing for us as Iowans. We’re thinking of our friends, our neighbors. It’s about what we feel is best for America.”

Several candidates are poised for a strong finish with caucus-goers Monday night, and it’s unclear whether or how female advocates might influence their decision. But it’s not surprising to see this year’s Democrats deploying women on their behalf, said Kelly Dittmar, political scientist at the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

“There continues to be real energy around women’s political empowerment, especially post-2016, that can be fed further via women surrogates,” Dittmar said, adding that such a strategy could continue in other states but could shift if the candidate pool changes after Iowa. “The Democratic Party can create a strong contrast with the Republican Party, and the Democratic nominee with Donald Trump, along gender lines, showing the Democrats’ advantage with women voters as well as their success in achieving greater gender equity than Republicans among candidates and elected officials.”

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Help sustain what we started

Your monthly investment is critical to our sustainability as a nonprofit newsroom.

Donate Today

Become a member

From the Collection

The Electability Myth

Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
  • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

    Candice Norwood · June 21
  • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

    Mariel Padilla · May 24
  • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

    Barbara Rodriguez · January 11

Up Next

Election 2020

‘There was always a “but”’: How Kamala Harris’s staff and supporters see her exit from the presidential race

Read the Story

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Monday, March 9, 2020.

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Search
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram