Activist: Looking for the Female Factor in the Next NY US Senator
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January 12, 2009
Albany, NY – Governor Paterson will soon announce his choice to fill the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton. There are some well-known contenders, some not so well-known, and there are both men and women.
The choice is evident to Laurel Parker-West, executive director of the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls.
"The clear preference among our supporters, and people who care about the work we do in our organization, would be a woman."
Currently, only 16 members of the U.S. Senate are women, and losing one from the roster would create more imbalance, according to Parker-West.
"We would like to make sure that, with losing Senator Clinton to the Secretary of State position, we at least maintain that level."
The Long Island Fund for Women and Girls never endorses specific candidates, but is interested in a woman replacing Senator Clinton in the interest of furthering women's initiatives, such as the Gender Equity in Education Project.