by Christopher Cousins, State House Reporter
Village Soup
November 5,
2008
The November 2004 election left Maine with fewer women in the Legislature
than at any time in recent memory, a milestone that won’t be repeated if a
leadership training program for women achieves its goals.
A total of 43 of the 186 seats in the House and Senate were filled by women
in 2004, or about 23 percent. In 1990, 61 women sat in the Legislature, which at
about 33 percent ranked Maine second in the nation in that regard, behind
Arizona.
The reasons for the slump four years ago are complex and varied, said several
women interviewed for this article, but they all agreed the situation seems to
be turning itself around, thanks in part to a leadership training program called
Emerge Maine.
Founded in 2006, Emerge Maine is a six-month course that recruits women and
teaches them the basics of fundraising, campaigning, public speaking and ethics.
On Tuesday’s ballot, 10 of the female candidates for Legislature were
graduates of the Emerge Maine program. In addition, two graduates won elections
for municipal seats earlier this year and five graduates are campaign managers
in legislative races.
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