June 13 Discussion with Former Members of Congress: The Female Candidate for Office: Challenges and Hurdles
Press Release · Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Washington, DC

On Thursday, June 13 at 7 p.m., the National Archives in partnership with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, presents a panel discussion with former members of Congress Donna Edwards (D-MD), Barbara Comstock (R-VA), and Connie Morella (R-MD) titled “The Female Candidate for Office: Challenges and Hurdles.” This program is in conjunction with the National Archives celebration of the centennial of women’s suffrage and its new exhibit, Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote.

Reserve a seat to attend in person, or watch the program live stream on the National Archives YouTube channel.

The Female Candidate for Office: Challenges and Hurdles
In the 116th Congress, a record of 127 women are serving as Representatives and 25 as Senators, only 28% of the entire Congress.  What factors account for these large gaps between men and women serving in Congress? Do women face challenges throughout the media that cross party lines, and do voters show a tendency to hold women to a higher standard in the media than men?  Does running a negative advertisement against an opponent may cause far more intense backlash for a female than a male? Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri moderates a panel discussion with Ann Lewis, former White House Director of Communications; and former members of Congress Donna Edwards (D-MD), Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Connie Morella (R-MD), and others.

The program is free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.   Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW.  Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. For those without reservations, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Theater doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. Late seating will not be permitted 20 minutes after the program begins.

Rightfully Hers is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP, AT&T, Ford Motor Company Fund, Facebook, Barbara Lee Family Foundation Fund at the Boston Foundation, Google, HISTORY ®, and Jacqueline B. Mars. Additional support for National Outreach and Programs provided by Denise Gwyn Ferguson, BMO Financial Group, Hearst Foundations, Maris S. Cuneo Foundation, FedEx, Bernstein Family Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation/Ambassador Fay-Hartog Levin (Ret.).

New Exhibit Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote
Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment by looking beyond suffrage parades and protests to the often overlooked story behind this landmark moment in American history. This fuller retelling of the struggle for women’s voting rights illustrates the dynamic involvement of American women across the spectrum of race, ethnicity, and class to reveal what it really takes to win the vote for one-half of the people. Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery.

Rightfully Hers is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP, AT&T, Ford Motor Company Fund, Facebook, Barbara Lee Family Foundation Fund at the Boston Foundation, Google, HISTORY ®, and Jacqueline B. Mars. Additional support for National Outreach and Programs provided by Denise Gwyn Ferguson, BMO Financial Group, Hearst Foundations, Maris S. Cuneo Foundation, FedEx, Bernstein Family Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation/Ambassador Fay-Hartog Levin (Ret.).