Just a few years ago, Illinois looked like barren territory to the national leaders of the women’s movement. In 1989 Molly Yard, then the president of the National Organization for Women, talked to a group of supporters about NOW’s deployment of resources for the upcoming elections. Yard said, “We have to pick states where we can have victories and not spread ourselves too thin. I’m not sure about Illinois; I’m not sure it’s one where we’ll decide to spend our wherewithal.”
What may be the most interesting figure of all–the clearest expression of women’s dissatisfaction with the status quo–is the increase in the number of women running for office. Clearly the more women who run, the more elected. In l990, 46 women ran for the state house of representatives. In l992, 7l ran, an increase of nearly 55 percent.
No longer, Laurenti says, will prochoice women be stuck in the defensive position of trying to stop antichoice legislation, as has been true in the past. “Now we’ll be able to pass our own legislation.”
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Looking at issues other than abortion, Laurenti notes that while Governor Edgar is prochoice, he does not favor all the issues on the women’s agenda. Thus the task of women activists in the legislature is not just to pass bills but to gather enough votes to override the governor’s veto. For example the family/medical leave bill has twice been passed in the legislature and both times vetoed. The second time it had enough votes to override the veto in the house but fell six short in the senate. “We are introducing it again this spring for another round, but it may have to wait to make it until after the November election, if indeed we can do it then. The same thing is true of the pay equity issue,” Laurenti says.
The woman who beat the leader of the house’s antichoice, antifeminist forces–the infamous Penny Pullen of the northwest suburbs–is Republican Rosemary Mulligan, who was supported by virtually every liberal and women’s-rights group active in this year’s state elections. Because her district is so heavily Republican, Mulligan is expected to win easily in November.
Several candidates said that abortion seemed to be the major issue on women’s minds. Mulligan says, “For my race, while choice was very important, I think it was most important that my opponent was out of touch with the district. She was only interested in doing things with Phyllis Schlafly. I think jobs and the economy are really important issues. When we go door to door, it’s not so much that taxes are high, it’s how they are spent. If they’re going to get fair value for their tax dollar, people don’t mind paying taxes, but they don’t think they are. I think that’s one of the top issues.
