MINNESOTA’S WOMEN TAKE THE POLITICAL LEAD
Innovative Political Leadership Training Returns to Minnesota for Fourth Year
Bloomington, MN– On Friday, January 25th, The White House Project will bring its ground-breaking Go Run political training program to the state of Minnesota for the fourth consecutive year. This innovative three-day event, which runs through Sunday, January 27th, aims to create a permanent, nonpartisan pipeline to women’s political leadership across the country, having trained more than 1,300 women to run for office since its creation in 2005.
“Women remain our country’s greatest untapped natural resource,” said Marie C. Wilson, President of The White House Project. “Go Run inspires, informs, and equips women with the tools to lead. When women sit fully at the tables of power, we create stronger governments—from the school board to the city council to the senate—and compelling solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.”
With 34.8% of the seats in the state legislature held by women—an all-time high—it is clear that Minnesota’s women are hungering to take part in the political process firsthand. Already, 70 women have committed to attending the weekend training, which will provide them with the nuts and bolts of running for political office. From the fundamentals of campaign strategy to fundraising and communications, Go Run works to prepare and propel a critical mass of diverse women into positions of leadership.
It is this hands-on, practical approach that has driven the program’s popularity, by demystifying the political process for women who are not traditionally tapped for positions of political leadership. Through programs in Minnesota, Colorado, Georgia, New York and Wisconsin, Go Run has trained some of the most underrepresented women in our political system: 41% are women of color; 46% earn less than $35,000 a year; and 50% are under the age of 30. In Minnesota, nearly half of participants live outside the metropolitan area.
The program utilizes both local and national speakers to train participants. This weekend’s Go Run will feature Marie C. Wilson, President and Founder of The White House Project; Keesha Gaskins, Executive Director of the MN League of Women Voters; State Representative Kate Knuth; Eveleth City Councilor Elizabeth Kuoppala; Virginia City Councilor Nevada Littlewolf; Eden Prairie City Councilor Sherry Butcher; Blue Earth County Commissioner Katie Wortel; Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter; and State Senators Mee Moua and Patricia Torres Ray, among others.
Minnesota’s Go Run will take place from January 25th - 27th, 2008 at The Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, 7800 Normandale Boulevard, Bloomington, MN 55439. This event is made possible with generous support from Best Buy, The Blandin Foundation, The Otto Bremer Foundation, and The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.
The White House Project, a national, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization, works to advance a richly diverse, critical mass of women into leadership positions, up to and including the U.S. Presidency. For more information, please visit: http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org.
