FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                    September 11, 2008

For more information contact: 
Sue C Johnson, AWPC President 907-276-5753 or 301-5005

WOMEN’S POLITICAL CAUCUSES WILL NOT ENDORSE GOVERNOR PALIN 

Anchorage AK – The Alaska Women’s Political Caucus (AWPC) along with the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) announced they will not be endorsing Governor Sarah Palin for Vice-President of the United States.  

Sue C Johnson, President of the Alaska Women’s Political Caucus, stated: “AWPC is pleased that Sarah Palin has brought attention to Alaska, but regrettably, neither the first Alaskan woman to be on the presidential ticket, nor John McCain supports our baseline issues. These issues include the right of women to make their own health care choices
such as reproductive choices. While his selection of Governor Palin as his running mate on the Republican presidential ticket is a recognition of the importance of women’s support and votes in this election and an acknowledgement of the leadership capabilities of women, it is unfortunate that their position on issues of fundamental importance to our members preclude us from supporting her.”

AWPC, according to Johnson, is eager to shatter the last barrier to women in politics – the door to the Oval Office – and its members are anxious to see a woman elected President in their lifetime. Sue stated, “We acknowledge that Governor Palin has taken the path to political leadership that the caucus promotes for women seeking political office – starting at the local level and working her way up the political ladder – we only wish that many of her views were not in direct conflict with ours. There are many highly qualified women in the political arena today that we enthusiastically support and work with to get elected or appointed to office.  We will continue our work to achieve gender equity in politics and look forward to the day we have our first woman president who supports the principles we believe to be fundamental to the equality of women.”

ABOUT THE Caucus

The AWPC is Alaska’s State Chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus, and is a multi-partisan, multi-cultural grassroots organization dedicated to increasing women’s participation in the political arena and creating a political power base designed to achieve equality for women.  The women’s political caucuses throughout the country work to increase the numbers of pro-choice women elected and appointed into office every year.  Through recruiting, training and financial contributions, the caucuses provide support to women candidates running for all levels of office regardless of political affiliation. www.nwpc.org