Women’s rights advocate Sandra Fluke is running for a state senate seat. As Katie Orr reports from Sacramento, her candidacy comes as the number of women in the state legislature is dropping.
Women make up more than half of California’s population, but just over a quarter of the state legislature. The number of women elected to the legislature has been dropping for several years. It’s an issue Fluke has been working to fix.
FLUKE: It’s something that I’m really passionate about working on. And it’s absolutely the same concern I have about why need more people of color in elected office, why we need more LGBTQ folks, why we need to have folks at lower economic levels represented.”
Democratic political consultant Robin Swanson says she welcomes Fluke’s candidacy. Though she points out other women may run for the seat as well.
FLUKE: “I think there are lots of issues that women care about that get neglected when only about a quarter of the legislature is representative of women. And I think you are going to see some issues that women really care about addressed if we elect more women.”
Fluke first drew national attention after conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh attacked her for saying birth control should be covered by insurance. She’s running to take the seat being vacated by Senator Ted Lieu, who is running for Congress.