Erin Vilardi, CEO and Founder of Vote Run Lead Action is quoted alongside Anita Hill, María Teresa Kumar, Jasmine Crockett, Gloria Steinem, Gretchen Whitmer, Nancy Pelosi, Carol Jenkins, Glynda Carr, Erin Vilardi, Reshma Saujani, Ted Bunch and Kimberly Peeler-Allen: “I think the country and the world really know the untapped political power of women, the untapped political potential of asking women to run for public office, to serve on advisory boards, to get appointments. We literally make government better."

Erin Vilardi, CEO of Vote Run Lead Action, an organization that identifies and trains women for public office, pushed back against the idea that it would be wrong to vote for a female candidate because of her gender. "That in and of itself is sexism, is that bias really built into our own thinking," Vilardi said. "We are a democracy. And it is the fair and just thing to see yourself represented in government no matter who you are without having to make this ridiculous case that women are better at government." ... Vilardi ...thinks older women "know the assignment" and have mobilized for Harris. "I am of the mind that this election breaks for Harris," she said, "and it is older women who put her over the top."

Erin Vilardi says: "My life’s work with Vote Run Lead Action has been to get more women elected to political office, so Harris is a staple of our conversations at home, thanks to her constant appearances on our screens. Her major moments—the announcement of her candidacy, the acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, the decisive showing at the presidential debate—have been major moments in my household, too. Accordingly, my daughters, who are 3 and 6, have organically developed their own awareness of Kamala. ... My daughters are too young to understand what is at stake in an election that could result in our first woman president, but they are old enough to pick up on their parents’ enthusiasm and feel a natural connection to her. Seeing Harris’ blended, multiracial family on the campaign trail is something that makes them feel proud, joyful even."

Cee Maul, VRLA's Michigan state director, offers a clear-eyed but determined view on the immediate prospects for fair gender representation in their state as part of this analysis by The Bridge Michigan:

Women candidates in Michigan have made historic gains in recent election cycles, sweeping statewide offices and boosting numbers in the state Legislature. But with the Nov. 5 election fast approaching, advocates say their hopes for a women-majority Legislature may have to wait as they instead seek to hold ground this cycle. “Unless we can put more effort into intentionally recruiting women into all open seats … then it's going to be harder to see women's representation continue to rise in Michigan,” said Cee Maul, the Michigan director of Vote Run Lead Action, a nonprofit focused on recruiting and training progressive women candidates for office. ... Moving forward, Maul said the group’s main goals are to maximize opportunities for women candidates when state legislative seats come open, create sustainable pipelines of future women candidates and prioritize getting women elected in politically “safe” legislative districts so they’re less vulnerable to competitive challenges.

You'll also find insights from VRLA alumn Mai Xiong and valued partners including Vote Mama and CAWP.

Erin Vilardi, the CEO and founder of Vote Run Lead Action, told me. “Women are no longer quieting parts of themselves and quieting parts of their lives when they’re running for office, and that includes abortion care,” she said. “Because you have to be able to tell voters on this major national issue both your expertise on this and your lived reality. That makes you a really good person to go make laws about this issue.” Vote Run Lead Action trains women to run for office and stay safe while doing so. A core component of its program includes storytelling training. “If you’re not ready to tell that story, then you’re not ready to tell that story. That’s okay, don’t use it on the campaign trail,” Vilardi said. It's the vividness of these stories, she added, that can create collective change because the emotional resonance is potent. “For voters, you have a lot of noise to cut through.”

Women running for office across Oregon gathered in Hood River for VRLA's first training in the state, with workshops designed to help them campaign more effectively. In this article, Oregon Director Becca Phelps discusses the gender confidence gap and women's electability: "We know that males run for office at a higher rate than women. Males also run when they think they're qualified ... with women, it takes us a lot longer to say, 'we think we're ready.'" However, when a man and woman run for an open seat, she says the genders win at equal rates.

Stephanie Demmons, Vote Run Lead Action Director of Strategic Partnerships, joined Tonya Pendleton to discuss Vote Run Lead Action's free "Victory Series" workshops for women running for office and their campaign staff. These virtual workshops will teach winning strategies for 2024 elections.

VRLA Founder & CEO Erin Vilardi and Michigan State Director Cee Maul discuss Michigan's battleground races and the recent Democratic National Convention in Chicago (18:53) on the MIRS Monday podcast, produced by MIRSnews.com -- Michigan's longest-running state public policy podcast.