A New Power Player in Missouri Politics

Cross-posted at ElectWomen Magazine.Today a new organization dedicated to electing progressive Democratic women to the state legislature and state-wide office was born. Harriett’s List, named after the former Missouri Lt. Governor Harriett Woods, was formally launched today. “To continue Harriett’s legacy of putting women in power, HARRIETT’S LIST is modeled after the national organization Emily’s List, which was spawned by Harriett’s close U. S. Senate bid in 1982,” said the organization’s new executive director, Stacey Newman. “The mission of HARRIETT’S LIST is to increase the numbers of progressive Democratic women in the Missouri state legislature and state-wide office.” The announcement comes on what would have been Harriett Woods’ 82nd birthday. Woods’ son, Andy Woods, along with her granddaughter Reina Woods, state Sen. Rita Days and state Sen. Joan Bray formally announced the launch of Harriett’s List at a press conference in University City, Missouri. Woods began her long political career in University City with her 1962 election as a city councilwoman. She then went on to serve in the state senate before running for the U.S. Senate in 1982. In 1984, Woods became the first woman to win a statewide race when she became the state’s first female lieutenant governor. She ran again for the U.S. Senate in 1986 but was defeated. Harriett was known nationwide as a prominent spokeswoman during the 1991 Clarence Thomas Senate hearings. She also served as the president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, helping to elect a record number of women to federal office in 1992. She died in February, 2007. HARRIETT’S LIST joins with ten other LIST groups, including Annie’s List of Texas and Lillians’ List of North Carolina – both wildly successful in raising money and electing progressive women to office. For more information, visit the organization’s new website at harriettslist.com.Kathy Groob is the publisher of ElectWomen Magazine. A business executive, former elected city official and Democratic candidate for the Kentucky Senate, Kathy has worked with many women’s organizations, served as a mentor to several women in the workplace and was a finalist in the Outstanding Women of Northern Kentucky awards program.