A Woman’s Place is in the House and Senate

But it’s still too hard for us to get there and stay there

By Liuba Grechen Shirley

I sat in my makeshift home office turned campaign office (also known as the TV room) making donor calls. Airpods in, arms wrapped around my one-year-old son nursing. My three-year-old daughter stood behind me, putting what felt like 10,000 clips in my hair. I dialed and dialed until someone picked up.

“Hi, I’m Liuba Grechen Shirley, a Democrat running for Congress. Do you have five minutes to talk about my campaign to unseat a 14-term Republican incumbent?”

When I ran for Congress in 2018, I had to quit my salaried job. Childcare was out of reach—too expensive, with a waitlist months long. My mother, a teacher, watched my babies when she got home from school, but until 3 p.m. every day, I campaigned with a toddler strapped to my chest and a preschooler trailing behind.

I had my answer for why more moms with young children didn’t run for office. The political system wasn’t designed for us; it was built for wealthy, white, land-owning men.

For most candidates, a political campaign is the longest job interview they’ll ever face. They have to leave their jobs to run full time—but their mortgage still needs to be paid, and their kids still need care. Add on top of that: long hours, unpredictable schedules, and upfront costs that working-class families simply can’t shoulder.

In this system, only the independently wealthy, or those without caregiving responsibilities, can realistically run. The result is that we have more millionaires in Congress than moms of minor children. Issues like affordable childcare and paid family leave, which would strengthen our workforce nationwide and benefit every single one of us, are dismissed as “women’s issues,” not worthy of Congress’ time.

To get better results, we need to elect better people—because legislators legislate on their lived experience.

That’s why I started Vote Mama, a trio of organizations dedicated to increasing the political power of moms. Vote Mama PAC supports Democratic moms running for office, from school board to U.S. Senate, through mentorship, networking, and fundraising. Vote Mama Lobby pushes for structural changes that enable more moms to run for and serve in elected office. And the Vote Mama Foundation is the nation’s leading source of research, analysis, and recommendations on the political participation of moms.

Altogether, Vote Mama is breaking down the barriers that hold mamas back and also changing the face of what power looks like.

As a congressional candidate in 2018, I became the first woman to successfully petition the Federal Election Commission to allow me to use Campaign Funds for Childcare. Candidates could use their funds for all kinds of things, from pizzas for volunteers to mileage for driving candidates and staff around. Why not include childcare expenses, which are just as essential to making campaign activities possible?

Building on this success at the federal level, Vote Mama Lobby is working to authorize Campaign Funds for Childcare across the country for state and local candidates. The organization has changed policy to allow Campaign Funds for Childcare in more than 2/3 of states, and the work will continue until this gets done in all 50.

Because of these efforts, since 2018 the use of Campaign Funds for Childcare has increased by 662% at the federal level and 2,156% at the state and local level. Collectively, candidates have spent more than $1 million on childcare, moving the needle on who has the financial means to run for office.

Now, Vote Mama Lobby is tackling another barrier: Campaign Funds for Security.

Running for office has never been easy—but for women and candidates of color, it’s increasingly dangerous. At every level of government, threats and harassment are becoming part of the job. I’ve lived it. My car’s window was smashed while I was campaigning for Congress, and people tracked down my kid’s nursery school based on my legally required public filings. Sadly, I’m not alone.

Vote Mama Foundation research has revealed that in the past decade, more than 800 federal candidates have spent over $41 million to keep themselves safe. But many state-level candidates—especially those with families—can’t afford protection. Without nationwide authorization of campaign funds for security, too many are forced to choose between safety and service.

What can you do?

• Check your state: Can someone use campaign funds for childcare or security where you live? Visit VoteMamaFoundation.org to find out.

• Submit a request: Vote Mama Foundation has resources for candidates and elected officials to seek approval from the relevant governing body in their states.

• Spread the word: Candidates can’t use what they don’t know exists. Share this with your local Democratic committee, activist group, or candidate friend.

• Follow @VoteMamaLobby on social media to stay informed and help us push these reforms across the finish line.

Nobody is going to fight harder for our country’s future than moms of young kids. But we’ve got to create a system that lets mamas get to the halls of power and stay there.

A common mantra in politics is that no one gets elected alone. It’s going to take all of us to push for necessary structural reforms, too.

Let’s finish the job—together.