NOW/PAC Names Chris Van Hollen Best Candidate for Congress in Maryland's 8th District

Statement of NOW President and NOW/PAC Chair Kim Gandy

October 1, 2002

NOW President and NOW/PAC Chair Kim Gandy with Chris Van Hollen, candidate for Congress in Maryland's 8th District

Our endorsement decisions go to the candidate with the strongest record on all of our issues, regardless of party or gender. And while NOW's PACs seek to bring more women into public office, we support the candidate who is best on the issues. Our goal is always to elect the strongest supporter of women's rights.

Montgomery County, Md., is fortunate to have two congressional candidates who support women's rights. After extensive examination of the records and accomplishments of both candidates, particularly recent voting records, it was clear to NOW/PAC members that Chris Van Hollen will represent our issues more effectively in Congress.

A longtime NOW member, Chris Van Hollen has been an outstanding leader in the Maryland State Senate. He has fought for the full range of women's rights in the state, and has always paid special attention to the plight of low-income women. For the past three years, he has been the leader against state efforts to deny or limit low-income women's access to reproductive health services under Medicaid and the S-CHIP program. He is a leading advocate on women's health issues, and as such has championed the Women, Infants and Children program to insure that pregnant women in Maryland receive adequate nutrition.

From left: NOW Membership Vice President Terry O'Neill, Duchy Trachtenberg, a former Montgomery County NOW chapter president who is running for a seat on the county council, and NOW President and NOW/PAC Chair Kim Gandy.

Van Hollen was a co-sponsor and Senate floor leader for Maryland's Anti-Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. NOW depended on his leadership to successfully defeat right-wing amendments to the bill.

NOW is a non-partisan organization and in several past elections we have endorsed Connie Morella. Sadly, since the ascension of right-wing leadership in the U.S. House, her voice for women has become increasingly ineffectual. She has fought hard for some issues, only to see her party and president abandon her. On some other issues, particularly on tax cuts for the wealthy and where business interests are at stake, her votes are no longer consistent with her history of supporting women.

From left: NOW Action Vice President Olga Vives, Delegate Sharon Grossfeld, a former NOW lobbyist who is moving into Van Hollen's Maryland Senate seat, and NOW Executive Vice President Karen Johnson.

Unfortunately, this is not the only vote that Rep. Morella has cast which favored monied interests above women and children. We were distressed that she supported the $1.35 trillion tax cut packages which dramatically favored the wealthy and will result in more budget deficits and consequently less funding for much needed programs. Her support for repealing the ergonomic standards benefitted big business, leaving injured workers, the majority female, with no real recourse. Morella's vote to make it more difficult for individuals to file class action law suits in state courts puts even more obstacles in the path of those injured by the actions of big corporations.

For Montgomery County, Md., activists who have fought for women's rights, economic empowerment, educational rights, sexual orientation non-discrimination and environmental rights, Chris Van Hollen is a hero. Chapter and state NOW activists are proud of his accomplishments on behalf of Maryland women. The bills that they have depended on him to carry have become groundbreaking law.

NOW is a grassroots organization which gives great deference to the strong recommendations from local activists. We proudly endorse Chris Van Hollen for the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 8th District.

In order to protect women's rights, NOW's state, local and national PACs are determined to fill the political pipeline with feminist candidates. Local NOW PACs have been working for years to recruit and elect members to all levels of political office. When one of our feminist elected officials prepares to move up the electoral ladder, we must have qualified candidates ready to fill their seats. In this regard, we are gratified to see former Montgomery County NOW lobbyist in Annapolis, Delegate Sharon Grossfeld, moving into Van Hollen's Maryland Senate seat, and former Montgomery County chapter president Duchy Trachtenberg running for a seat on the county council.

Click here for access to online video coverage of NOW's press conference announcing the endorsement of Van Hollen.

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