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'Remember the Ladies': Women Voters in Louisiana’s 6th District

They are the largest voting demographic in the 6th Congressional District, yet many women voters are frustrated, saying the candidates are ignoring women and their concerns.

Thirteen candidates are pushing hard for the 50-percent-plus-one needed to win the Nov. 4 primary, and Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler says women in the district could be the key to victory.

“Right at 54 percent of eligible voters who are registered are female,” Schedler said, adding, “They also participate at a much more aggressive rate than men. It’s a very significant factor in any election.”

“I’m so frustrated. I’m disgusted!” Vivian Guillory said of the race.

Guillory, a Democrat, was at a Sunday afternoon meet-and-greet for the Baton Rouge chapter of the American Association of University Women. Talk turned to the mid-term elections, and fellow AAUW member Laura Acosta—also a Democrat—phrased her own irritation succinctly.

“I’ve never heard any politician here head-on address any of the women’s issues,” Acosta declared.

Later in the week, in Livingston Parish, the Republican Women’s club hosted a candidates’ forum and luncheon. Tee Comeaux has attended several of these forums this election season, and is still hoping the candidates will talk about the issues that concern her.

“I would like to know about education—what their plans are with Common Core,” Comeaux said. “Also marriage—whatever they want that to be. Not many have stated exactly where they stand on marriage. And where they stand on right to life.”

Comeaux didn’t hear candidates discuss any of those topics that day. Instead, she heard more of the same themes GOP contenders are highlighting in their ads.

“It’s time to start cutting back on the government, cutting back on spending,” Paul Dietzel urges, while Dan Claitor empathizes, “It gets tougher every day because the federal government becomes more intrusive, every minute.” Garret Graves also pushes for putting limits on the federal government, saying, “That’s why I support a balanced budget amendment, and a plan to reduce government—agency by agency.”

University of Louisiana-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross acknowledges candidates in the 6th District race have a blind spot when it comes to female voters.

“They would rather not focus on the women,” Cross explained. “The way the parties are broken down on gender issues, no candidate in the 6th District—with the exception of Edwin Edwards, who has his own baggage when it comes to women—would be able to make a strong appeal for women’s support without breaking from any of the masculine group of issues that’s been associated with the Republican Party—issues like the economy, limited government.”

Not every female voter views these issues as “masculine” or “feminine”. Kay Burleigh, who was attending the Republican Women’s luncheon with her husband, said she thinks more in terms of “liberal” or “conservative”.

“You know, I’m just such a strict conservative, and I think that’s what’s most important to me,” Burleigh said.

Political experts like Cross classify the district overall as “conservative”—more closely aligned to the GOP’s stated values. Cross says candidates are afraid to take up the more liberal—or “feminine”—concerns.

“To run a campaign, for example, based on fighting women’s poverty, addressing equality—none of the Republicans can actually run that kind of campaign without losing all their Republican support,” Cross explained.

There are two women in the race, but both are Republicans and are focusing on the same issues as the male candidates. Lenar’ Whitney, when asked how she was planning to capture the women’s vote, said she’s confident her gender alone is enough.

“Women tend to vote for women candidates, and people who want more women involved in government,” Whitney said.

But Democrat Vivian Guillory said that’s not enough to convince her to pull the lever for a particular candidate. She says she’s still waiting for candidates to—as Abigail Adams urged her husband John Adams in 1776—“remember the ladies.”

“What I’d like to hear is them talk about issues that really affect me—as a woman, as an African-American, as a worker, as a mom, as someone who needs health care, as a grandmother,” said Guillory. “And I’m not hearing them talk about that.”