She Should Run Members Who Ran - And Won!

These women were nominated to She Should Run and encouraged by people they knew and respected to run for public office. All three won their races, and we hope their stories will inspire you to run, or ask someone you know to run! Your nominee could be the next woman featured here.

Nebraska State Senator Brenda Council (District 11)

Brenda Council, She Should Run Nominee, was recently elected in 2008 to the Nebraska State Senate for District 11.

Right Time, Right Place, Right Person was her message; she earned a landslide victory winning 84% of the vote. Council has a long history of running for and serving in elected office. Council served for 11 years on the Omaha Board of Education.

“My passion is education,” said Council. A policy change to eliminate summer school drove Council to run for school board in 1981. In 1993 Council was elected as the first African American woman to serve on the Omaha City Council. “It was a very tough decision to run for city council,” said Council. She decided to run because she felt that she could best serve and represent her constituents.

In 1994 Council decided to run for Omaha Mayor. She lost the race, but remained determined to run again. “People were approaching me; they believed in my message and urged me to think about running for the mayor’s office,” said Council. She raised money to conduct a poll which indicated that 48% percent of people would support her for mayor. She lost the election again this time by less than 800 votes.

“If you get out there the first time and you lose than you learn from that loss,” said Council. “You have developed a lot of relationships through that loss that hopefully you can maintain and call upon when you decide to run again.”

Since 1997 Council has remained engaged in her community. Council’s dedication to her community, strong personal relationships and name recognition made her campaign for state senate a success. “I encourage women of all ages who believe they have a contribution to make should seriously consider seeking public office in their local communities,” said Council.

Town Councilwoman Stephanie Hausner, Clarkstown, NY

Stephanie Hausner is a She Should Run™ Member, a WCF Next Generation Member, and a WCF Endorsed Candidate. In November, 2009 she won a seat on the Clarkstown, NY Town Council. Stephanie was the top vote getter in both the primary and the general elections. These achievements are especially impressive considering Stephanie is only 25, and while she has worked on campaigns and studied politics, this was her first run for office.

While in college at Johns Hopkins University, Stephanie interned with Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Governor Martin O’Malley, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, among others. Stephanie graduated with a BA in International Relations with a concentration in American Foreign Policy in May 2006. Her professional career since then has focused on political and non-profit fundraising, with a continued interest in activism and community service. Stephanie was recently appointed by the Young Democrats of America President Crystal Strait as the Young Democrats’ of America Democratic National Committeewoman.

Stephanie was asked to run several times, first via a She Should Run™ nomination, and more recently by her local Democratic Chair. She made the decision to run due to the encouragement of those around her. “People in my community want me to serve,” said Stephanie. She believes her youth was an asset in the race, and is confident that, “if more young women ran, more young women would win,” just like her.

Mayor Carolyn Committa, West Chester, PA

After over 30 years of serving her community, She Should Run™ Nominee and WCF-endorsed candidate Carolyn Comitta answered the call to run for office. After winning both the Democratic and Republic Mayoral Primaries in 2009, Carolyn has officially been elected Mayor of West Chester, PA by over 95% of votes. Carolyn was nominated for the She Should Run™ program in 2007 and again to run for higher office in 2008.

For years, Carolyn turned down requests to run for office because she was scared and doubted her skills and abilities. Carolyn said she never had time and that she used her children as an excuse not to run for office. After her children moved out of the house she could no longer say no to running for office!

While serving as a council member since 2007, Carolyn was instrumental in making West Chester a greener and more sustainable community. Carolyn organized a town hall meeting, which was unheard of in West Chester. As a direct result of the meeting, the city passed an ordinance to create the Energy Star program. The program provides resources and incentives for commercial buildings to be in the top 25% of energy efficient buildings in the country. As the newly elected mayor she will continue to lead West Chester to a brighter future.

Colorado State Senator Linda Newell (District 26)

Linda Newell, She Should Run™ nominee, won her 2008 Colorado State Senate Race by 195 votes. “It truly is amazing that every vote truly does count,” said Newell. Linda is now a proud State Senate Representative for Colorado’s 26th District. She serves on the Judiciary, Health and Human Services, and Local Governments Renewable Energy Committees. She holds monthly town hall meetings to touch base with constituents, and is currently working to protect children’s educational programs from upcoming budget cuts.

Newell had always wanted to run for office. “I had been asked to run for different offices. Being a single mom, I just couldn’t afford the time,” said Newell. Now that her daughters are grown, she accepted the offer to run. Four women motivated Newell to run for office: her mom, her two daughters and her anti-choice opponent. Linda’s mom introduced her to politics. She remembers canvassing with her mom as a young girl. Newell’s daughters said, “You absolutely have to do this mom; you would make such a good candidate.”

As a single mom working 70 hours per week, Newell made the time to volunteer on political campaigns and in the community. Volunteering gave Newell the experience and support she needed to run. “You get to know the issues in your community—the connections are invaluable,” said Newell. Newell would take her daughters with her to canvass. “It taught my kids that volunteerism is critical in our society. It taught my kids about the issues as well.”