Political paths are tougher for women in Georgia, two veterans say

Fairly few women have sat at the fancy desks that Macon’s Miriam Paris and Nikki Randall have occupied as state lawmakers in Atlanta.

While Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton talks about trying to shatter the highest, hardest glass ceiling in national politics, Georgia has never elected a female governor. Both Paris and Randall say the journey to higher office is tougher for women than for men.

Randall, a longtime Democratic representative who is leaving the Legislature this year, described the scrutiny that’s sharper and more personal for women than for men.

“We’re expected to be flawless at all times, gracious at all times. But our male counterparts can wear the same suit all week long and nobody says anything. They can act out of character at public forums and it’s OK,” she said.

A woman who shows any aggression or defends herself gets labeled “hard to deal with” or emotional, Randall said, while a man is thought of as “tough.”

That kind of scrutiny, she said, makes it harder to recruit women to politics.

Paris said a lot of people still see politics as a man’s game.

“And when women step up to the plate, they are not taken as seriously,” said Paris, a former state senator. After winning a Democratic primary this year, she’s unopposed in the November general election for the House seat that Randall is vacating.

About a quarter of Georgia’s 236 state lawmakers are women. Nationwide, that’s about average. Colorado’s 42 percent female legislature is the closest to equity.

Randall, 44, also said women who have younger families don’t have the time to run because they are taking more responsibility at home. She also said that Georgia’s lack of a woman in its 16-man delegation in the U.S. House and Senate makes the state look like it’s not progressive.

Since 1939, Georgia has sent just five women to Congress.

Then there’s money. A campaign for the Gold Dome can cost in the low six figures. Both Paris and Randall said writing more checks for female candidates would get more women in office.

“When you get a woman that’s qualified, why not help out? Because men have that, they support each other,” Paris said.

That’s one of the strategies of Georgia’s Win List, a state group modeled on Emily’s List, which trains and supports pro-choice Democratic women for the state Legislature. The group backs campaign donations, which both Paris and Randall have received.

Paris, 56, said women of her generation weren’t usually mentored or groomed for higher office. She said she didn’t have a mentor to show her the ropes when she joined the former Macon City Council.

So she’s trying to be the mentor she didn’t have. She said she’s always ready to sit down with women who seek her political advice. She tells them to expect vitriol, to know the issues inside and out and to understand that it’s an uphill climb.

But she also said higher office doesn’t need to be dominated by men.

“Women can run for office. They can win,” Paris said. “They just need to be prepared.”

This story was originally published August 11, 2016 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Political paths are tougher for women in Georgia, two veterans say."