Women's Campaign Forum

Statewide Candidates 2010

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Loranne Ausley is running for Chief Financial Officer of the State of Florida. Ausley, is an attorney, former member of the Florida House of Representatives, and is the current Chair of Healthy Kids, a corporation that provides health insurance to children. Ausley has dedicated her career to the service of others, working in the administrations of some of Florida’s most respected leaders. Ausley stood up against irresponsible budgets and “no-bid” contracts that wasted millions in tax dollars.  Ausley graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College with a degree in Economics and earned her J.D. from the Washington & Lee University School of Law. To learn more, visit Loranne Ausley’s website.

Jocelyn Benson is running for Secretary of State in Michigan. Benson is currently an Assistant Professor of Law at Wayne State University, where she specializes in teaching Election Law. Prior to attending law school, Benson worked as an investigative journalist at the Southern Poverty Law Center. She has led both statewide and national election protection programs. In late 2009, Benson's book, Democracy and the State Secretary of State, was published by Ashgate. The book highlights best practices of Secretaries of State from throughout the country and seeks to inform voters about how Secretaries of State from either side of the political spectrum can work to advance democracy and election reform. Her research for this book, combined with her lifelong career as an election expert and reformer, inspired her to run. Benson promises to eliminate barriers to voting and to promote access and accountability in order to preserve the integrity of Michigan’s elections. Visit Jocelyn Benson’s website to learn more. 

 

Linda Chavez-Thompson is running for Lt. Governor of the state of Texas. At the age of ten, Chavez-Thompson started working for thirty-cents an hour hoeing cotton. In ninth grade, she had to leave school and to go to work full time to support her family. She continued picking cotton in the fall months and cleaning homes in the surrounding cotton farm community to earn enough money to buy clothes and food for her family. In addition to learning English language skills, Chavez-Thompson taught herself to read and write Spanish. In December 1967, she was hired as a Secretary by the Construction Laborer’s Union in Lubbock. Over the next forty years, Chavez-Thompson kept working to build a long and impressive career working on behalf of working people, culminating as Texas State Director for the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees before being elected Executive Vice-President of the National AFL-CIO — the first woman and the first person of color to hold that position. In January of 1997, Chavez-Thompson was elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, a position she continues to hold today. To learn more, visit Linda Chavez-Thompson’s website.

 

  Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish is running for New Mexico Governor. After serving as the Chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, Denish was elected the state's first female Lieutenant Governor in 2002. During her time in office, she has consistently challenged special interests on behalf of New Mexico families, helped create an innovative micro-lending program through the New Mexico Small Business Investment Corporation, and fought for the adoption of higher minimum wage standards and more efficiently managed unemployment benefits. Known as a champion for New Mexico's children, Denish led the effort to expand pre-Kindergarten programs across the state and focused state agencies on preparing our future workforce. Denish plans to put New Mexico's families ahead of politics, to seize the opportunities of the future and give every child in her state the opportunity to succeed. To learn more, visit Diane Denish's website.

 

District Attorney Kamala Harris  is running for California Attorney General. In December 2003, Kamala Harris was elected as the first woman District Attorney in San Francisco's history, and as the first African American woman in California to hold the office. She was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in November 2007. Drawing on her experience as a prosecutor for nearly twenty years, Harris has focused intensively on fighting violent crime. She has increased conviction rates for serious and violent offenses, expanded services to victims of crime and their families, created new prosecution divisions focused on child assault, public integrity and environmental crimes, and launched innovative re-entry initiatives to prevent recidivism. She has also launched unprecedented outreach programs to San Francisco communities and brought free legal clinics to immigrant neighborhoods. She was recognized as a “Woman of Power” by the National Urban League and received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the National Black Prosecutors Association. To learn more, visit Harris’s website.

 

Treasurer Velda Jones-Potter is running for Delaware State Treasurer. She was appointed to that position in 2009 by Governor Jack Markell. Previously, she served as the City of Wilmington's Finance Director for an 18-month term. As the first woman to hold this office, Jones-Potter oversaw the collection of $234,000 in delinquent parking tickets and increased city revenues by $1.3 million dollars. In the private sector, Jones-Potter served as Executive Vice President at MBNA America (now Bank of America) before launching her own successful management consulting firm, Jones-Potter and Associates. To learn more, visit Velda Jones-Potter's website.

  

 Former State Representative Robin Kelly is running for Illinois State Treasurer. Known for her leadership, experience, and commitment to the people of Illinois, Kelly currently serves as Chief of Staff for the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office. In addition to supervising and overseeing all departments within the Treasurer’s Office, Kelly is also a primary advisor on all policy, political, and operational matters. Since joining the office, Kelly has led the charge in transforming the agency by demanding stronger ethical guidelines, improving operations, and introducing new and innovative programs. Prior to joining the Treasurer’s Office, Kelly served as Illinois State Representative from 2003-2007. She advocated and supported policy that enhanced the quality of life for all Illinois residents. Kelly also served as Director of Community Affairs for the Village of Matteson. A resident of Matteson, Kelly holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Bradley University and a Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University. For more information, visit Robin Kelly’s website.

 

Penny Kotterman is running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Arizona. Kotterman is a lifelong educator with over 30 years of experience and an impeccable record of teaching students, developing education policy, and improving the profession of education for new and experienced teachers alike. As president of the Arizona Education Association for 6 years, Kotterman engaged with Governors Jane Hull and Janet Napolitano to build the policies that are central to education in Arizona today. Additionally, she has been instrumental in the development of policy related to student standards and assessments and teacher certification. To learn more, visit Penny Kotterman’s website.

 

 Deb Markowitz is running for Governor of Vermont. Markowitz was elected Vermont's 37th Secretary of State in 1998. Although she had never run for elected office before, Deb beat a two term incumbent to become the first woman to be elected Secretary of State in Vermont. Markowitz is widely recognized for making it easier to start and expand businesses in Vermont, successfully and economically implementing an ambitious election reform agenda, and championing open and accountable government. At the same time, she established the Safe at Home program to protect victims of domestic violence from being tracked down through public records. Throughout her political career, Markowitz has won six state wide elections, with both Republicans and Progressives in the races. To learn more, please visit Deb Markowitz's website.

 

 Yvette McGee Brown is running for Lt. Governor of Ohio. She is the founding President of the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children's Hospital and an active leader in the central Ohio community. She served as a judge in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court, from 1993 to 2002. She was the first African-American and the second woman to be elected to the court. In 2002, Brown retired from the Franklin County Common Pleas Court to create the Center for Child and Family Advocacy. The Center is a multi-disciplinary child abuse and family violence program that co-locates prevention, assessment, treatment, research, advocacy, and education services for children and families experiencing abuse. To learn more, visit Yvette McGee Brown's campaign website.

 

Senator Elizabeth (Libby) Mitchell is running for Governor of Maine. She has the honor of being the first woman in America to serve as both the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. Senator Mitchell represents Senate District 24, which includes Augusta, China, Oakland, Sidney and Vassalboro. Her legislative service includes nine terms in the House and three in the Senate. During her time in the legislature she has been a tireless advocate for education, healthcare, and sustainability. In addition to serving her community in the Legislature, Libby has served three terms on the Vassalboro Board of Selectmen. She also serves on the board of Maine General Health, Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education, New England Board of Higher Education and Jobs for Maine Graduates. She served seven years on the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, chairing the board for four years. She has also served on the board of Kennebec Health Association, Home Resources of Maine, Kennebec Valley Medical Center, Oak Grove-Coburn School and as director of the Maine Homeless Coalition. Learn more at Senator Mitchell’s website.  

 

Auditor Susan Montee is running for re-election as the state auditor of Missouri. Montee is Missouri's first state auditor who is both a certified public accountant and an attorney. As state auditor, Montee has tackled issues relating to public education, child safety and protection of our most vulnerable citizens. Her audits of student immunization compliance, day care and senior center licensing, and the Safe Schools Initiative have resulted in legislative proposals to solve the inadequacies she uncovered. In 2009, the Missouri State Auditor's office was awarded the National State Auditors Association (NSAA) “Excellence in Accountability Award” in the 2009 Performance Audit (large) category. This is the first time the Missouri Auditor's Office has been awarded this prestigious award. To learn more, visit Susan's website. 
 

 

Barbara Ann Radnofsky is running for Texas Attorney General. She practices law on both sides of the docket and is a mother, wife, teacher, lawyer and mediator. In 2006, after 27 years of law practice, Radnofsky became the first woman in history to serve as the Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee. She was the first woman at Vinson and Elkins to have children as an associate and attain partnership. Radnofsky was honored as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas in 1988. She has been listed for the past 16 years in “Best Lawyers in America". As a lawyer who has practiced on both sides of the docket, a mediator, and a long time community leader, Radnofsky knows how to represent people, how to fight for people, and how to bring people together. Visit Barbara Ann Radnofsky's website to learn more about her.

 

Gina Raimondo is running for Rhode Island State Treasurer. Raimondo attended Harvard University where she was recognized as the top economics student and awarded a Rhodes Scholarship towards her doctorate at Oxford University. In 1998, Raimondo graduated from Yale Law School. Over the last 10 years, Raimondo and her partners have developed Point Judith Capital, an investment business she co-founded into a thriving firm, investing millions of dollars in over 20 start-up companies. At Point Judith Capital, she has worked with entrepreneurs to translate their innovative ideas, products and services into thriving healthcare and technology businesses, creating hundreds of new jobs in the process. Raimondo is an active member on the board of Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, where she leads the board committee on quality of care. To learn more, visit Gina Raimondo's website.

 

District Attorney Kathleen Rice is running for Attorney General of New York. She was the first woman elected DA in Long Island's history in 2005. Rice's nationally recognized effort to combat drunk driving has led to statewide changes in DWI law. In 2008, CBS's 60 Minutes profiled Rice's work to reduce drunk driving, sparking a renewed national debate on local law enforcement's role in DWI prevention, prosecution, and education. In 2007, Rice launched an innovative, community-oriented strategy to eliminate one of Long Island's most prolific drug markets. The strategy paired traditional law enforcement methods with progressive social service diversion, job training, and education opportunities. The strategy was profiled nationally on ABC's PrimeTime and has since been adopted by the U.S. Department of Justice, where it has been utilized by communities throughout the country. To learn more, visit Kathleen Rice's website.