Marching Onward

An open and honest conversation about the realities of women pursuing and serving in public office

Melissa Turley, Natalia Macker, Alyson Spery, Hailey Morton Levinson, Amy Flores-Renova, Me!

“If you care, you’re qualified” ~ Hailey Morton-Levinson

Last Thursday, in celebration of Women’s History Month, I was honored to be on a panel of six female civic leaders for an open and honest conversation about the realities of women pursuing and serving in public office. The event was hosted at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, where we were surrounded by sculptures and a few hundred years of visual artwork inspired by the grandeur of nature. A few hundred yards away on the valley floor, twelve black wolves were sighted on the National Elk Refuge just a few days before. As I pulled into the parking lot, blaring this playlist of power anthems chosen and created by the event sponsor, Womentum, the sight of the Elk Refuge at sunset reminded me that the challenges were all worth it.

Wyoming has always been at the forefront of women’s empowerment in politics. In 1869, the first Wyoming Territorial Assembly passed the Women's Suffrage Act, making Wyoming the first state to grant women the right to vote and hold public office on equal footing with men. The first General Election in which Wyoming women voted was on September 6, 1870. That same year, Wyoming also holds the bragging rights to the first female Justice of the Peace and the first woman to serve on a jury in the United States. The Town of Jackson became the first town governed by women in 1920.¹

Dubbed the "petticoat government" by the press, the Town of Jackson elected three councilwomen, a female town marshal, and a female mayor in 1920.

That said, 155 years later, even in Wyoming, women are still dramatically underrepresented in political office despite all our successes. With the mission to inspire and connect women to thrive as leaders, Womentum’s inspiration for the panel comes from the Department of State’s 2024 Women in Politics briefing, which calls out the low statistics–just 25-33% of women hold office, depending on the level of government. A 2024 Pew Research Center report points to many “major obstacles” that contribute to such disparity, including:

• Women receive less encouragement from friends and family, as well as other political leaders.

• Family responsibilities are not shared equally between women and men, leaving less bandwidth for women to serve.

• 48% reported that having children hurts a woman’s chances of being elected, while 28% said it helps a man’s chances.

• As a side note, it wasn’t until 2021 that Victor, Idaho, where I serve, became the first all-women’s council in Idaho).

Open and honest, it was. I’ll post the video when it becomes available; I don’t think I can do it justice, but here are a few highlights.

Q: What internal barriers, such as self-doubt or fear of criticism, might hold women back from running for office, and how can we reframe these challenges to encourage more women to step forward?

Natalia Macker, a member of the Teton County Board of Commissioners, said she never felt underqualified after visiting the Wyoming State Capital and finding an esteemed state legislator dozing with his boots on a desk, and a cowboy hat over his eyes. 

This experience highlights the barrier of “citizen legislature,” a legislative system in which lawmakers are not full-time politicians and typically do not receive a salary for their legislative duties. This system is intended to ensure that lawmakers are "of the people, for the people," representing a broader range of professions and life experiences. In reality, it favors the independently wealthy, the retired, or those with jobs that will let them serve for three months each year, such as ranchers in the winter.

“There are a lot of good people that will just not even put their name on a ballot because they don’t want to put up with all the crap that we put up with,” said Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder (R-Boise).

“No young person that I know of with a family can afford to come, give up the time in a regular job and come for what’s paid here,” he said.²

Throughout the night, the panelists shared stories of how their convictions eventually overcame their doubts, fears, and additional challenges as family caretakers. Central to this was the power of community, asking for (and accepting!) help and letting go of negativity. We discussed how language—like “politician” versus “public servant”— might shape how women perceive their leadership potential. This hit home for Amy Flores-Renova, whose parents came from Mexico and considered all politicians corrupt.

“We need to let go of the myth of exceptionalism, imperialism, rugged individualism–the idea that you need to be some heroine to run for office.” ~ Sue Muncaster

What impressed me the most was that, across the board, all the speakers were committed to reducing divisiveness and moving forward, checking their righteousness, creating connections even with those whose ideas they abhor, and choosing their battles wisely. Self-care was a top priority for all of us, and setting strict boundaries around technology and social media and spending plenty of time outside were critical to our mental health.

Q: Have you found a balance between finding common ground or pushing the envelope in your political career, and what is the role of both? How do you decide when to collaborate versus stand firm on an issue you deeply believe in?

This exercise made me rethink my core values and “lines in the sand:”

• Assume good intentions when listening to others’ perspectives

• Always choose what’s best for the most people in the community, not yourself

• Before posting on social (or Substack!) ask yourself, “Will make the world better.”

• Put on your oxygen mask first

• Be nice, have fun. Revolutions cannot be sustained without joy.

• Lines in the sand: body autonomy, book banning, land and wildlife stewardship.

A final question from the audience asked whether there was a time when it just got to be too much and wasn’t worth it anymore. I didn’t say it out loud, but in my head, I thought, nope, not yet. For me, convinced that “changing the world” depends on changing yourself first and that divisiveness is how we, the people, give our power away, this conversation, along with the preparation during the week, left me more invigorated and activated than ever.

SO GUESS WHAT? I am officially running for office again. The election is not until November, but this week kicked me off the fence and fired me up to revive my website and empty bank account. If you know anyone who might want to run (YOU?!?!), please send them my way if they want some advice and resources.

As always, thank you so much for reading and all you do to make the world a better place,

Sue

1. Wyohistory.org

2. Boise Public Radio