Despite Setbacks, Women Are Still Ready to Run for Office

Bipartisan program from Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics has seen a surge of interest from women seeking office

If Elizabeth Warren’s withdrawal from the presidential race earlier this month dashed women’s hopes for a female presence in the White House, it also may have strengthened their determination to work harder to reach that goal.

Jean Sinzdak, who for 15 years has overseen Rutgers’ Ready to Run ® training program for women seeking public office, says Warren’s move has galvanized women enrolled in the annual conference.

“I think the immediate effect [of Warren’s action] is redoubling women’s resolve,” Sinzdak says. “Certainly, a lot of people have reached out and said they are so saddened, and it made them realize we have to keep working to keep women’s voices at the table.”

A bipartisan “boot camp” for women who want to test the political waters – run for office, work on campaigns, win appointments to office or just learn more about the political system – Ready to Run® has been helping launch women candidates since 1998 under the auspices of Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics.

With its Jersey roots, the program has since expanded to other states, including Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Minnesota. The flagship New Brunswick program has trained more than 4,000 women in its 20-plus years of existence.

The conference saw a significant surge in enrollment in the days after the 2016 election, when women – dismayed and discouraged by the election of Donald Trump – decided they needed a place at the table. Numbers doubled to 300, and organizers were forced to close registration because of space issues.

Those who attend want to make inroads on township councils, school boards, the State Legislature and even the U.S. Congress and are interested in learning more about developing campaign strategies, looking professional on camera, building a network of supporters and gaining the support of party leaders, most of whom are men.

Melonie Marano and Cindy Matute-Brown, two Ready to Run® “graduates,” agree the program armed them with the tools they needed to find their political footing.

“If you’re looking to run, to meet other women in the same situation and build up your confidence, this is the place for you,” says Marano of Green Brook, who was twice elected to her Township Committee and who was installed as a member of the Somerset County Board of Freeholders in January.
Both women emphasize that being exposed to others who share their commitment is one of the program’s greatest strengths.

“It offered a phenomenal opportunity to network,” says Marano, who attended the conference twice – once in 2007 when she was running for freeholder, and again in 2019.

Like Marano, Matute-Brown is a repeat participant. She, too, stresses the value of the bonds she made, many of whom she remains in contact with.
Matute-Brown recently wrapped up her first year as the first Latina on the West Orange City Council, where she speaks up not only as a woman but also as the daughter of parents who emigrated from Ecuador in the 1960s.

“Seeing people who look like yourself in positions of power is incredibly important,” says the Jersey City native who in 2012 received a degree from Rutgers in English and women’s and gender studies, with a minor in Criminal Justice. 

“Typically, the landscape of entrenched political parties is exactly the same,” she says of the overwhelmingly white and male candidates who populate election rosters year after year. At Ready to Run, she was heartened to learn that persons of color and women can run “off the line” – without party boss sanction – and be successful.

The conference curriculum is divided into two tracks:  one for those who are running immediately, the other for those considering the possibility of elected office or getting involved in other ways, including appointments to public boards, working for political parties or lobbying on issues they care about. There are also sessions for women of color – African-American, LatinX and Asian-American.

N.J. Senator Loretta Weinberg, a regular panelist, is one of the program’s most vocal supporters.

“I first met some of my current female colleagues when they attended a Ready to Run® conference. I’ve been involved since its beginning,” says Weinberg. “I can’t think of a more worthwhile program that serves as a campaign training ground for women who wish to run for public office.” 

Editor's Note: This year’s program, scheduled to take place Saturday, March 20, at the Douglass Residential College student center in New Brunswick, has been canceled because of the university-wide response to the COVID-19 virus.

Instead, organizers are arranging a series of webinars on topics that were due to be covered. The schedule will soon be available on the program’s website.