Tonight, Mark Sanford won the GOP run-off in the SC-01 special election and will face off against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch on May 7. My Off The Sidelines PAC is all in for Elizabeth and I hope you'll join me in supporting this fantastic candidate.
Elizabeth has been off the sidelines and involved in her community for years, having founded the Executive Board of Directors of Charleston Women in International Trade as well as serving as Chair of the Maritime Association Port of Charleston, among other positions. I'm thrilled that this year, Elizabeth has decided to add Congressional candidate to her list of achievements, and with your help, we'll be sending her to Washington, D.C. very soon.
I feel it's so important that more women run for Congress. Too often, women don't think of themselves as candidates or are turned off by the combative nature of campaigning. And women, unlike most male candidates, often have to be asked to run. But the fact is, when women do run, they win in equal numbers as men, and once they reach the halls of Congress, they prove to be extremely effective problem solvers, bringing a unique ability to reach across the aisle and build consensus. I know that whenever I've been successful legislatively in the Senate, I've had a Republican woman working right alongside me.
Women's voices bring a different perspective to issues that improves the debate in Washington and, I believe, leads to better results. Women are also less likely to be caught up in petty partisan battles and more focused on the issue at hand. It's no coincidence that every single woman in the Senate, both D & R, consistently voted for the Violence Against Women Act. And if Congress were made up of 51% women, do you think we woud have spent two years debating access to birth control? No, we would be focused on growing the economy and creating jobs.
That's why I was thrilled that in 2012, a record number of women ran for Congress and, with so much support from all of you, won. But even with record numbers of women in the halls of Congress, we still only make up 18%. It's my hope that together, we can raise that number, starting with electing Elizabeth Colbert Busch on May 7.
I hope you'll join me by giving to her campaign here.
Thanks for all you do to elect Democratic women to all levels of government. I know that this community is off the sidelines and fully engaged in your communities and the electoral process. Thanks so much for making your voices heard and improving the lives of so many.
Learn more about Elizabeth at her website here.
And follow her on Twitter and Facebook.