Last week The Colorado Independent reported that a group of Coloradans were asking Gov. John Hickenlooper to replace Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia with a woman appointee.
Jenny Willford, the Executive Director of Emerge Colorado, an organization working to get more women elected to office, wrote the governor today the following letter suggesting 101 qualified women he could could appoint.
Dear Governor Hickenlooper,
Emerge Colorado recruits, trains and empowers women to run for office. Since launching in 2012, we have trained over 70 women from Delta County to Weld County. These women are teachers, members of the military, lawyers, activists and moms. To date, over half of our alumnae have run and this November alone, 9 out of 13 women on the ballot won- that’s nearly a 70% win rate. This means that we know how to identify qualified women and we know how to give them the skills and network they need to win.
From the ranches to elected office, Colorado has a proud tradition of electing women. As you know, not only were we the first parliamentary body in the world to elect women, but we were the first state to give women the right to vote and we are the number one state in the country for electing women to the state legislature. While we excel at women’s representation in the state legislature, we have yet to elect a woman Governor or U.S. Senator. Furthermore, out of the 48 past lieutenant governors in Colorado history- only 4 have been women. We can and we must do better- starting with your next appointment.
Since Lieutenant Governor Garcia announced his resignation, we have been working publicly to recruit a woman to fill the vacancy. Too often women are left off the shortlist for political appointments. This is exactly why we have built a robust and diverse list of 101 women from across Colorado who are ready, able and qualified to lead. We recognize that our list does not include every qualified woman in the state; but we are confident that these women represent the broad range of talent we have in Colorado from scientists and Olympians to politicians and businesswomen.
We did not ask permission to include any woman in our list because we know that women have to be invited to run for office. To every woman on this list, please consider this your formal invitation to run for lieutenant governor or any other office in Colorado.
Governor Hickenlooper, it is time for you to send a message to the entire country that women’s leadership matters. That in Colorado, political parity is not just an option- it’s an expectation. It is time for you to be a trailblazer and enthusiastically advocate for a woman to become the next lieutenant governor.
Sincerely,
Jenny Willford
Executive Director
101 Qualified Female Candidates for Lt. Governor of Colorado
Cristina Aguilar
Hon. Irene Aguilar
Katherine Archuleta
Christine Arguello
Hon. Polly Baca
Katina Banks
Patricia Barela Rivera
Hon. KC Becker
Christine Benero
Erin Bennett
Sue Birch
Hon. Betty Boyd
Barbara Brohl
Lauren Casteel
Juanita Chacon
Merle Chambers
Hon. Kathy Chandler-Henry
Rebecca Chopp
Leanna Clark
Vicki Cowart
Hon. Lesley Dahlkemper
Hon. Jessie Danielson
Hon. Kerry Donovan
Hon. Crisanta Duran
Hon. Daneya Esgar
Donna Evans
Hon. Rhonda Fields
Hon. Joan Fitz-Gerald
Maggie Fox
Lynn Gangone
Ellen Golombek
Julie Gonzales
Nita Gonzales
Lisa Goodbee
Courtney Gray
Dusti Gurule
Sandy Gutierrez
Hon. Millie Hamner
Josie Heath
Carol Hedges
Hon. Eva Henry
Melanie Herrera Bortz
Paula Herzmark
Tresi Houpt
Hon. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst
Wanda James
Hon. Elise Jones
Kim Jordan
Hon. Cary Kennedy
Hon. Robin Kniech
Frances Koncilja
Hon. Gwen Lachelt
Dottie Lamm
Hon. Claire Levy
Michelle Lucero
Hon. Alice Madden
Denise Maes
Hon. Betsy Markey
Lilly Marks
Hon. Rosemary Marshall
Hon. Crestina Martinez
Dayna Bowen Matthew
Hon. Jenise May
Hon. Beth McCann
Hon. Buffie McFadyen
Karin McGowan
Elena Mendoza
Hon. Karen Middleton
Nita Mosby Henry
Karen Nakandakare
Suma Nallapati
Hon. Linda Newell
Kelly Nordini
Hon. Barbara O’Brien
Blanca O’Leary
Hon. Debbie Ortega
Theresa Pena
Hon. Brittany Pettersen
Monica Piergrossi
Susan Powers
Hon. Diane Primavera
Hon. Rachel Richards
Hon. Rosemary Rodriguez
Hon. Su Ryden
Marguerite Salazar
Kristen Schaal
Hon. Gail Schoettler
Tea Schook
Hon. Pat Schroeder
Tisha Schuller
Hon. Gail Schwartz
Hon. Linda Shoemaker
Martha Tierney
Lindsey Vonn
Hon. Wilma Webb
Hon. Elbra Wedgeworth
Roxane White
Kathy White
Hon. Angela Williams
Hon. Faith Winter
* Names are listed in alphabetical order.
** Inclusion on this list does not consititue an endorsement.**
Photo credit: Mike Johnston, Creative Commons, Flickr.
