Bipartisan Coalition Seeks Pledge from Gubernatorial Candidates: “If Elected, I Will Appoint More Women”

As the New Jersey gubernatorial election nears, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) has convened some of the state’s most powerful political women to press candidates to agree that they will appoint substantial numbers of women to their transition teams and administrations. Led by a bipartisan Advisory Committee, the Bipartisan Coalition for Women’s Appointments (BCWA) has asked to meet with both gubernatorial candidates before the election to stress the urgency of including substantial numbers of women at all levels in the next administration, from cabinet-level positions to the governor’s “front office” to part-time boards and commissions.

BCWA has four key goals:

• create the expectation within both major parties that women will play significant roles in the transition and in government -- in cabinet and sub-cabinet positions, on the governor’s staff, and on boards and commissions;
• help the next governor identify a strong and diverse pool of women candidates for positions within the new administration;
• educate New Jersey women about the thousands of state, county and municipal appointed positions available;
• encourage New Jersey women to submit their résumés for gubernatorial appointments and provide them the tools and information they need to seek appointments.

“Women bring distinctive perspectives to government,” says CAWP director Debbie Walsh. “CAWP and other researchers have proven that elected and appointed women make a measurable difference–both in the policies they advocate and the processes they employ as leaders. That’s why women of both parties insist that the candidates pledge to include significant numbers of women across their administrations.” 

CAWP first convened BCWA during the Kean/Florio contest in 1981 and has reconvened it before every election for an open gubernatorial seat since then. When it was last convened during the 2005 election, both major party candidates pledged that, if elected, they would appoint women to state offices in significant numbers. Governor Corzine followed through on that pledge, with women comprising 43% of his cabinet members. Currently, Governor Chris Christie has seven women serving in his 24-member cabinet for 29%.

Governors of New Jersey make appointments to hundreds of positions in the executive and judicial branches, including many posts that would be elected in other states. They also name members of over 500 boards, commissions and authorities addressing topics from acupuncture to youth corrections.

“BCWA wants New Jersey’s next governor to cast a broad net across the state and beyond to find the best people for the wide range of available positions. The Coalition is working to ensure that many talented and diverse women are among those appointees,” commented Walsh.

More details about the Coalition can be found at: www.cawp.rutgers.edu/bcwa.