Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week:

 

Republicans could flip a number of Senate seats in 2024. Will women candidates benefit?

Grace Panetta, The 19^th*

The number of Republican women in elected office has increased partially due to the efforts of groups including Maggie’s List, Winning for Women and Elevate PAC, and Value In Electing Women (VIEW). With the 2024 election cycle coming into focus, those groups are hoping that the success of the Republican party electing more women to the House will translate to the party’s women candidates for Senate. Republican women and experts say that a unique opportunity has presented itself for women to make progress in the Senate chamber due to a combination of myriad seat pickup opportunities and a more hands-on approach from Senate GOP leaders in the primaries.

Read the full story here.

 

Ambitions collide as rising Democrats consider higher office

Elena Schneider, Politico

With Senate seats and governorships opening in 2024 and 2026, Democratics are managing traffic jams among hopefuls for statewide offices. In Michigan, Democrat Representative Elissa Slotkin has emerged as the main contender for the Democratic Party for the open Senate seat. In California, three congressional stars are expected to exceed spending records as they battle for retiring Senator Dianne Feinstein’s seat, which has not been open for three decades. According to experts, the crowded races are an inevitable outcome of retirements and state term limits.

Read the full story here.

Judy Heumann, unyielding advocate for disability rights, dies at 75

Harrison Smith, Washington Post

Judy Heumann, a trailblazing disability advocate, passed away at the age of 75 on March 4^th. Ms. Heumann became paralyzed in childhood after contracting polio. During that time, “… disabled people had restricted access to libraries, schools, and public transportation, with limited opportunities for education or employment.” Early in her legacy of advocacy for disabled people, she filed a lawsuit to become the first New York City public school teacher to use a wheelchair and worked to improve the representation of disabled people in the media. Ms. Heumann was at the forefront of the nation’s disability rights movement and served as an official advocating for the cause in the Clinton and Obama administrations.

Read the full story here.

 

America still doesn’t put enough women on pedestals

Chelsea Brasted, Axios

According to Monument Lab, a nonprofit public art and history studio in Philadelphia, in the United States it’s easier to find a sculpture of a mermaid than any American-born woman. In 2021, Monument Lab found that there were 22 sculptures of mermaids and 21 honoring Harriet Tubman. For Women’s History Month, Monument Lab investigated whether increased awareness of the lack of diversity in American monuments and sculptures lead to actual change, and the answer is not really. Sue Mobley, senior research scholar at Monument Lab says, “When we don’t see people on pedestals that look like us or tell our stories, that tells us that we don’t belong within veneration, we don’t belong within honor, and often that we don’t belong within that space.”

Read the full story here.

 

Here Are the Biggest Moments from TIME’s Women of the Year Gala

Mahita Gajanan, TIME

On Tuesday, women gathered from around the world to celebrate International Women’s Day in Los Angeles at TIME’s second annual Women of the Year gala. TIME’s event honors the 12 women featured on the magazine’s 2023 Women of the Year list. Some of this year’s honorees included Masih Alinejad, Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett, Quinta Brunson, and Ayisha Siddiqa. Some of the biggest moments from the gala included highlighting the transgender community, guests explaining what equality means to them, and a dedication to the women of Iran.

Read the full story here.