Author: Kate Paradis

Kamala’s candidacy is adding so much enthusiasm to this election, so perhaps it is not too much to hope that we can ride a pink wave into November and beyond!

When abortion is on the ballot it wins, so I want to focus on the states that have ballot initiatives and/or Constitutional amendments enshrining abortion on their ballots.

Florida activists met the signature threshold and voters will decide whether or not to enshrine the right to an abortion up until viability into the state Constitution. That should help get out the vote.

Please support the courageous Democratic challengers in Florida!

Ignore the list with dead links, and sorry about that.

For Senate (vs Rick Scott) Debbie Mucarsel-Powell http://debbieforflorida.com

FL-01 Pensacola area Gay Valimont (vs Matt Gaetz) http://gayforcongress.com

FL-02 Panama City/Panhandle Yen Bailey (vs Neal Dunn) http://yenbaileyforcongress.com

FL-04 west of Jacksonville LaShonda “LJ” Holloway (vs Aaron Bean) http://hollowayforcongress.com

FL-07 NE of Orlando Jennifer Adams (vs Cory Mills) http://jenniferadamsforcongress.com

FL-08 SE of Orlando Sandy Kennedy (vs Mike Haridopolis, open seat) http://sandykennedyforcongress.com

FL-11 west of Orlando Barbie Harden Hall (vs Daniel Webster) http://barbieforcongress.com

FL-13 Pinellas County Whitney Fox (vs Anna Paulina Luna) http://whitneyfoxforcongress.com

FL-15 NE Tampa Pat Kemp (vs Laurel Lee) http://votepatkempforcongress.com

FL-16 SE of Tampa, north Sarasota Jan Schneider (vs Vern Buchanan) http://votejan.com

FL-18 central Florida Andrea Doria Kale (vs Scott Franklin) http://andreadoriakale.com

FL-19 SW coast Kari Lerner (vs Byron Donalds) http://karilernerforflorida.com

FL-27 Miami Lucia Baez-Geller (vs Maria Salazar) http://luciabaezgeller.com

Wow. Hard to believe that today marks just 4 weeks since the nightmare-inducing debate between two old white men clinging to patriarchy, both convinced that they alone could save our nation.

Last night President Biden eloquently and humbly reminded us that no one person can save us; we have to do that as a team, together.

As you can probably guess, I am all in for Kamala!!!

Her candidacy is going to be a major boost for the many unsung Democratic women running for Congress all over the country!

In Texas there are eleven, ten of whom are challengers. In any other year I would not have much hope for any of them, but this year is proving to be a whole ‘nother thing.

It somehow doesn’t seem overly optimistic to think that we will flip some (many?) of these seats. So without further ado, here they are.

Please click on any and all links to donate. If you happen to live in one of these districts, please volunteer!!

TX-05 Dallas metro Ruth Torres http://truthincongress.com

TX-08 north of Houston Laura Jones http://laura4tx.com

TX-10 College Station Theresa Boisseau http://theresa4texas.com

TX-14 Galveston Rhonda Hart http://hart4congress.com

TX-15 south Texas Michelle Vallejo http://michellefortx15.com

TX-21 west of Austin Kristin Hook http://drkristinhook.org

TX-22 Houston metro Marquette Greene-Scott http://marquettegreenescott.com

TX-27 Corpus Christi Tanya Lloyd http://tanyafortx27.com

TX-32 Dallas metro (open seat) Julie Johnson http://juliejohnson.com

TX-36 Beaumont Dayna Steele http://daynasteele.com

TX-38 Houston metro Melissa McDonough http://melissaforcongress.com

It might look like my work at Half the Congress Should Be Women is strictly cyclical, according to electoral politics. It’s true that I cannot support non-incumbent women running for Congress very effectively until I know who’s running! Between elections I have taken up writing letters on my fun and fancy stationery to various and sundry folks, mostly politicians, mostly Joe Biden.

As I continue to fume over Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza, currently escalating far beyond, I have decided to share a letter I wrote to the president on September 19, 2023, about two and a half weeks before Hamas’ invasion of Israel sparked the genocide of Palestinians and the utter destruction of their land and infrastructure.

For the first time I included a book with my letter, Chris Hedges’ latest book, The Greatest Evil is War. It is a disturbing book, and yet I recommend it. War is nothing if not disturbing.

Click on the handwritten letter to read the full transcript.

Off to Washington for Visibility Visits!

Women are rising like never before, with a renewed sense of “wokeness” to the dangers of patriarchy. On this Earth Day, when we honor our mother Earth, the source of all life and the treasures she provides us, let us acknowledge that the masculine energies around competition have brought us to this place of violence and scarcity. Capitalism allows the greedy to pillage our planet and wreak havoc on innocent communities.

Elon Musk’s recent space blast debacle epitomizes that dangerous masculine intrusion into our day-to-day lives. Imagine a feminine approach! We could be creating beautiful parks, gardens, and schools for our communities, providing healthcare for all: everybody in, nobody out.

To honor some of the many women in Congress who share my vision, I have purchased 50 mugs with the Half the Congress Should Be Women logo on both sides, and plan to distribute them to their offices on Capitol Hill on May 1 and 2. Please contact me if you are interested in helping me!!

Here is the schedule of offices I will be presenting with mugs:

Monday, May 1

Longworth House Office Building (25)

1^st floor: Terri Sewell AL-07 1133

                 Kim Schrier WA-08 1110

2^nd floor: Nancy Pelosi CA-11 1236

                 Katie Porter CA-47 1233

                 Brittany Petterson CO-07 1230

                 Deborah Ross NC-02 1221

                 Mary Gay Scanlon PA-05 1227

3^rd floor: Sara Jacobs CA-51 1314

4^th floor:  Zoe Lofgren CA-18 1401

                 Nikema Williamas GA-05 1406

                 Lauren Underwood IL-14 1410

                 Becca Balint VT-AL 1408

                 Marie Perez WA-03 1431

5^th floor: Delia Ramirez IL-03 1523

                 Teresa Leger-Fernandez NM-03 1510

6^th floor: Val Hoyle OR-04 1620

                 Jasmine Crockett TX-30 1616

7^th floor: Ilhan Omar MN-05 1730

                 Valerie Foushee NC-04 1716

                 Chrissy Houlahan PA-06 1727

                 Marilyn Strickland WA-10 1708

Basement: Yadira Caraveo CO-08 1024

                     Jill Tokuda HI-02 1005

                     Nikki Budzinski IL-13 1009

                     Susan Wild PA-07 1027

Tuesday, May 2

Rayburn House Office Building (16)

1^st floor: Diana DeGette CO-01 2111

2^nd floor: Maxine Waters CA-43 2221

                 Lucy McBath GA-07 2246

3^rd floor: Chellie Pingree ME-01 2354

                 Suzan DelBene WA-01 2330

                 Pramila Jayapal WA-07 2346

4^th floor: Rosa DeLauro CT-03 2413

                 Jahana Hayes CT-05 2458

                 Jan Schakowsky IL-09 2408

                 Sharice Davids KS-03 2435

                 Rashida Tlaib MI-12 2438

                 Angie Craig MN-02 2442

                 Cori Bush MO-01 2463

                 Dina Titus NV-01 2464

                 Veronica Escobar TX-16 2448

                 Barbara Lee CA-12 2470

Cannon House Office Building (8)

1^st floor: Debbie Dingell MI-06 102

                Bonnie Watson-Coleman NJ-12 168

                Andrea Salinas OR-06 109

                Madeleine Dean PA-04 150

                Mary Peltola AK-AL 153

2^nd floor: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez NY-14 250

                 Summer Lee PA-12 243

4^th floor: Ayanna Pressley MA-07 402

That adds up to 49 mugs, and the 50^th mug will go to Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon for his unwavering support of women in politics. We need more members like him.

But most of all we need more women in Congress!! The inequality in that body is the status quo of patriarchy. Inertia. Cynicism. Go along to get along. A new era is dawning, and steadily we are making progress. Nothing happens overnight in the political world, so practicing patience helps a LOT!!

I reached out to all the women who won in 2018, reminding them that I played a role in their success, including all the members of the Squad, and they are all doing amazing electoral work in 2020. Some are having to defend their seats quite aggressively. One of them stands out to me as a person who can keep all the balls in the air, and that is Katie Porter, who won a seat in Republican territory, Orange County, CA, and is going to keep it because she is such an impressive person, someone with a brilliant mind combined with a caring heart. She can win her seat while crafting legislation that will move us toward our goal of health and prosperity for all, and support a great slate of candidates to further these goals all the while. Katie has endorsed 28 non-incumbent candidates to join her in Congress and transform our society. As one KP to another, I am proud to share Katie Porter’s 28 Truth to Power-endorsed candidates, 22 of whom are women. Not sure what the order is, but no matter. Here they are:

Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07)
Cori Bush (MO-01)
Theresa Greenfield (IA-SEN)
Betsy Dirksen-Londrigan (IL-13)
Ben Ray Luján (NM-SEN)
Julie Oliver (TX-25)
Gina Ortiz Jones (TX-23)
Desiree Tims (OH-10)
Cameron Webb (VA-05)
Kathleen Williams (MT-AL)
Tedra Cobb (NY-21)
Wendy Davis (TX-21)
Michelle De La Isla (KS-02)
Beth Doglio (WA-10)
Alyse Galvin (AK-AL)
Jill Schupp (MO-02)
Jackie Gordon (NY-02)
Amy Kennedy (NJ-02)
Sima Ladjevardian (TX-02)
Hiral Tipirneni (AZ-06)
Dana Balter (NY-24)
Jamaal Bowman (NY-16)
Ammar Campa Najar (CA-50)
Kara Eastman (NE-02)
Kate Schroder (OH-01)
Mondaire Jones (NY-17)
Ritchie Torres (NY-15)
Candace Valenzuela (TX-24)

Note that Kathleen Williams and Alyse Galvin are in states (MT and AK) that have only one House rep, which could make a huge difference if the election outcome hinges on Constitutional issues. Women everywhere, even in conservative states like Montana and Alaska, arise! We can change the world. Texas, you too are welcome to join the movement for a livable future. Five of these candidates are from the Lone Star State, hallelujah.

Hats off to New York for fielding three of the six men. That is commendable!!

Oops. I knew I was forgetting someone or maybe more than one, but I wanted to publish so much!! There could be more, please let me know.

Allow me to introduce Marquita Bradshaw, a black environmental activist and climate champion from Memphis, TN, running for Senate in an open seat. Marquita won her primary against an establishment candidate in August. Who knows how far that sort of grassroots activism can take her? Shout-out to the Sunrise Movement for helping Marquita challenge the status quo in the aptly named Volunteer State.

Her website is marquitabradshaw.com

And then there is Donna Deegan in the Jacksonville/St. Augustine area of Florida, FL-04, running against your standard Republican incumbent. We can do better!

Help out at donnadeeganforcongress.com

The blue wave is rising, and it could become a pink tsunami!! Please share widely.

People are already voting, so there’s no time like the present to present my full list of the courageous and committed women who are willing to serve their communities by working for them in Congress. What a concept. It says it right there in the preamble to the Constitution: of the People, by the People, and most importantly FOR the People!! Not the corporations, not the Congresspeople, but the actual people.

In alphabetical order by state, they are:

1. Alyse Galvin vs Don Young    AK-AL    alyse4alaska.com
2. Phyllis Harvey-Hall vs Barry Moore (ni)    AL-02    harveyhall2congress.com
3. Adia McClellan-Winfrey vs Mike Rogers    AL-03    winfrey4congress.com
4. * Joyce Elliott vs French Hill    AR-02    joyceelliott.com *
5. Celeste Williams vs Steve Womack    AR-03    celestewilliamsforarkansas.com
6. Delina DiSanto vs Paul Gosar    AZ-04    delinadisanto.com
7. Joan Greene vs Andy Biggs    AZ-05    joangreeneaz.com
8. Hiral Tipirneni vs David Schweikert    AZ-06    hiralforcongress.com
9. Audrey Denney vs Greg LaMalfa    CA-01    audreyforcongress.com
10. Brynne Kennedy vs Tom McClintock    CA-04    brynneforcongress.com
11. Chris Bubser vs Jay Obernolte (ni)    CA-08    chrisbubser.com
12. Kim Mangone vs Kevin McCarthy    CA-23    mangoneforcongress.com
13. Christy Smith vs Mike Garcia    CA-25    christyforcongress.org
14. Angelica Duenas vs Tony Cardenas    CA-29    uses Twitter
15. Georgette Gomez vs Sara Jacobs (D, ni)    CA-53    georgettegomez.org
16. Diane Bush vs Lauren Boebert (ni)    CO-03    dianeforcolorado.com
17. Jillian Freeland vs Doug Lamborn    CO-05    jillianfreeland.com
18. Dana Cottrell vs Daniel Webster    FL-11    dana2020.com
19. Kimberly Walker vs Gus Bilirakis    FL-12    kimberlyforcongress.com
20. Margaret Good vs Vern Buchanan    FL-16    margaretgood.com
21. * Pam Keith vs Brian Mast    FL-18    pamkeithfl.com *
22. Cindy Banyai vs Byron Donalds (ni)    FL-19    cindybanyai.com
23. Carolyn Bordeaux vs Rich McCormick (ni)    GA-07    carolyn4congress.com
24. Tabitha Johnson-Green vs Jody Hice    GA-10    Facebook campaign
25. Dana Barrett vs Barry Loudermilk    GA-11    electdanabarrett.com
26. * Liz Johnson vs Rick Allen    GA-12    lizjohnsonforcongress.com *
27. Rita Hart vs Mariannette Miller-Meeks    IA-02    ritahart.com
28. Theresa Greenfield vs Joni Ernst    IA Senate    greenfieldforiowa.com
29. * Paulette Jordan vs James Risch    ID Senate    pauletteforsenate.com *
30. Marie Newman vs Mike Fricilone (ni)    IL-03    marienewmanforcongress.com
31. Betsy Dirksen-Londrigan vs Rodney Davis    IL-13    betsydirksenlondrigan.com
32. Erika Weaver vs Mary Miller (ni)    IL-15    weaverforillinois.com
33. Dani Brzozowski vs Adam Kinzinger    IL-16    daniforillinois.com
34. Pat Hackett vs Jackie Walorski    IN-02    pathackettforcongress.com
35. Christina Hale vs Victoria Spartz (ni)    IN-05    haleforcongress.com
36. * Jeannine Lee Lake vs Greg Pence    IN-06    jeannineleelakeforcongress.com
37. Thomasina Marsili vs Larry Bucshon    IN-08    hopein8.com
38. * Michelle de la Isla vs Jake LaTurner (ni)    KS-02    michelleforkansas.com *
39. Laura Lombard vs Ron Estes    KS-04    lauralombardforkansas.com
40. Barbara Bollier vs Roger Marshall    KS Senate    bollierforkansas.com
41. Alexandra Owensby vs Thomas Massie    KY-04    amowensby.com
42. Amy McGrath vs Mitch McConnell    KY Senate    amymcgrath.com
43. Lee Ann Dugas vs Steve Scalise    LA-01    Facebook campaign
44. Candy Christophe vs 3 R’s    LA-05    candychristophe4congress.com
45. Mia Mason vs Andy Harris    MD-01    miadmason.us
46. Sara Gideon vs Susan Collins    ME Senate    saragideon.com
47. Linda O’Dell vs Jack Bergman    MI-01    lindaodellforcongress.com
48. Hillary Scholten vs Peter Meijer (ni)    MI-03    hillaryscholten.com
49. Gretchen Driskell vs Tim Walberg    MI-07    votegretchen.com
50. Kimberly Bizon vs Lisa McClain (ni)    MI-10    kimberlybizonforcongress.com
51. Tawnja Zahradka vs Tom Emmer    MN-06    tawnjaforcongress.com
52. Quinn Nystrom vs Pete Steuber    MN-08    quinnforcongress.com
53. * Cori Bush vs Anthony Rogers (ni)    MO-01    coribush.org *
54. Jill Schupp vs Ann Wagner    MO-02    jillschupp.com
55. Megan Rezabek vs Blaine Luetkemeyer    MO-03    Facebook campaign
56. Lindsey Simmons vs Vicky Jo Hartzler    MO-04    lindseysimmons.com
57. Teresa Montseny vs Billy Long    MO-07    montsenyforcongress.com
58. Kathy Ellis vs Jason Smith    MO-08    ellisforcongress.com
59. Antonia Elliason vs Trent Kelly    MS-01    Facebook campaign
60. Kathleen Williams vs Greg Gianforte    MT-AL    kathleenformontana.com
61. Deborah Ross vs Alan Swain (ni)    NC-02    deborahross.com
62. Kathy Manning vs Joseph Lee Haywood (ni)    NC-06    kathymanningfornc.com
63. * Pat Timmons-Goodson vs Richard Hudson    NC-08    timmonsgoodsonforcongress.com *
64. Kate Bolz vs Jeff Fortenberry    NE-01    katebolz.com
65. Kara Eastman vs Don Bacon    NE-02    eastmanforcongress.com
66. Amy Kennedy vs Jeff Van Drew    NJ-02    amykennedyforcongress.com
67. Stephanie Schmid vs Chris Smith    NJ-04    stephaniefornewjersey.com
68. Teresa Leger vs Alexis Johnson (ni)    NM-03    teresaforall.com
69. Patricia Ackerman vs Mark Amodei    NV-02    ackerman4congress.com
70. Nancy Goroff vs Lee Zeldin    NY-01    goroffforcongress.com
71. * Jackie Gordon vs Andrew Garbarino    NY-02    jackiegordonforcongress.com *
72. Tedra Cobb vs Elise Stefanik    NY-21    tedracobb.com
73. Tracy Mitrano vs Tom Reed    NY-23    mitrano2020.com
74. Dana Balter vs John Katko    NY-24    electdanabalter.com
75. Kate Schroder vs Steve Chabot    OH-01    kateforcongress.com
76. Jaime Castle vs Brad Wenstrup    OH-02    castleforuscongress.com
77. Shannon Freshour vs Jim Jordan    OH-04    shannon4ohio.com
78. Shawna Roberts vs Bill Johnson    OH-06    shawnarobertsforcongress.com
79. * Vanessa Enoch vs Warren Davidson    OH-08    enochforcongress.com *
80. * Desiree Tims vs Mike Turner    OH-10    timsforcongress.com *
81. Alaina Shearer vs Troy Balderson    OH-12    alaina2020.com
82. Hillary O’Connor Mueri vs David Joyce    OH-14    hillaryoconnormueri.com
83. Danyell Lanier vs Markwayne Mullin    OK-02    Facebook/Twitter
84. Zoe Midyett vs Frank Lucas    OK-03    midyette2020.com
85. Mary Brannon vs Tom Cole    OK-04    electbrannon.com
86. Abby Broyles vs Jim Inhofe    OK Senate    abbybroyles.com
87. Christina Finello vs Brian Fitzpatrick    PA-01    finelloforcongress.com
88. Sarah Hammond vs Lloyd Smucker    PA-11    sarahforus.com
89. Kristy Gnibus vs Mike Kelly    PA-16    kristyforcongress.com
90. Adair Burroughs vs Joe Wilson    SC-02    adairforcongress.com
91. Kim Nelson vs William Timmons    SC-04    kimnelsonforcongress.com
92. Melissa Watson vs Tom Rice    SC-07    melissawatsonforcongress.com
93. Renee Hoyos vs Tim Burchett    TN-02    hoyosforcongress.com
94. Meg Gorman vs Chuck Fleischmann    TN-03    meg2020.com
95. Noelle Bivens vs Scott DesJarlais    TN-04    Facebook
96. Erika Stotts Pearson vs David Kustoff    TN-08    not much presence
97. Sima Ladjevardian vs Dan Crenshaw    TX-02    simafortx.com
98. Lulu Seikaly vs Van Taylor    TX-03    lulufortexas.com
99. Carolyn Salter vs Lance Gooden    TX-05    salterforcongress.com
100. Elizabeth Hernandez vs Kevin Brady    TX-08    lizfortx8.com
101. Lisa Welch vs Kay Granger    TX-12    lisawelch.org
102. * Adrienne Bell vs Randy Weber    TX-14    voteforbell.com *
103. Wendy Davis vs Chip Roy    TX-21    wendydavisforcongress.com
104. Gina Ortiz Jones vs Tony Gonzales (ni)    TX-23    ginaortizjones.com
105. * Candace Valenzuela vs Beth Van Duyne (ni)  TX-24  candaceruns.com *
106. Julie Oliver vs Roger Williams    TX-25    julieoliver.org
107. Carol Iannuzzi vs Michael Burgess    TX-26    carol2020.com
108. Donna Imam vs John Carter    TX-31    votefordonna.com
109. MJ Heger vs John Cornyn   TX Senate    mjfortexas.com
110. Carolyn Long vs Jaime Herrara Beutler    WA-03    electlong.com
111. Beth Doglio vs  Marilyn Strickland (D, ni)    WA-10    bethdoglio.com
112. Jessica King vs Glenn Grothman    WI-06    jessicakingforwisconsin.com
113. Tricia Zunker vs Tom Tiffany    WI-07    triciaforwisconsin.com
114. Amanda Stuck vs Mike Gallagher    WI-08    amandastuck.com  
115. Natalie Cline vs David McKinley    WV-01    natalieclineforcongress.com  
116. Cathy Kunkel vs Alex Mooney    WV-02    kunkelforcongress.com
117. Hilary Turner vs Carol Miller    WV-03    turnerforcongresswv.com
118. Paula Jean Swearengin vs Shelley Moore Capito   WV Senate    paulajean.com

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by state. Bolded lines are basically rematches from 2018. In some cases a candidate is running again, but this time against someone new. Many of our incumbents retired after facing serious opposition last time! All my Comeback Candidates are bolded, regardless of who they are challenging. Non-incumbents are marked (ni). Some incumbents have a new female challenger this time; these (mostly men) are bolded.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the bipoc candidates have an asterisk by their name and website. Please do whatever you can to help more black, indigenous, Latinx, and women of every racial and cultural background have a voice in our Congress!! This list was compiled by me, Kate Paradis, and I admit there might be errors and/or omissions. Trust but verify. Email me at Kate@HalftheCongress.org if you have any corrections or comments. Thanks for whatever you can do to elevate the need for more women in Congress. This is important work