POLITICS

Two state representatives create PAC to back working women running for office

Two legislators retiring from state service are focused on influencing voters to put more working women in the Legislature.

State Reps. Rachel Prusak of Tualatin and Anna Williams of Hood River, Democrats and each chairing a House committee, announced on Tuesday that they’ve formed a political action committee to support reform-minded working women who are running for state office. 

They formed 9to5 three weeks ago to help candidates raise money and campaign. The PAC would help those elected craft bills and be an effective legislator while working a full-time job.

“The intention is to be a little different,” Williams told the Capital Chronicle. 

She said that Democratic candidates are taught how to be a successful candidate but then once they’re elected, they’re on their own. Williams said they plan to “fill that gap.”

Williams and Prusak announced in early March, as the legislative session was winding down, that they would not seek re-election because they could not continue juggling two full-time jobs. Prusak is a nurse practitioner, and Williams is a social worker and adjunct professor.

Their decision came after a proposal failed that would have increased legislator pay from about $33,000 a year to around $63,000. Representatives and senators are paid to work part time but the job is much more demanding.

“There is always something more that you can do,” Williams said.

Williams chairs the House Human Services Committee and also has children, 11 and 14. Prusak chairs the House Health Care Committee.

Their PAC will support women who want to reform the Legislature.

“A fair wage is the only way people with varied backgrounds and life experiences can afford to serve our state,” Prusak said in a statement. “I don’t believe that the people of Oregon want to only be represented by wealthy people with trust funds and hedge funds. In fact, I know they don’t – they elected me twice because of, not in spite of, my working background.”

Williams added: Oregonians should have confidence their legislators know their struggles and can represent them, not just the wealthiest among us. We’re not going anywhere until working people can serve in legislatures across the country without driving themselves to over-exhaustion, debt, or both.”

The PAC has not reported any contributions yet.

The representatives said that Democrats support candidates from diverse backgrounds but have failed to help them stay in office, including raising their pay so they don’t have to work outside the Legislature to support themselves and their families. 

Some advocacy groups, including the Coalition of Communities of Color, the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon or APANO, and Basic Rights Oregon, which advocates for the LGBTQ community, have concerns that women and people of color will be impeded from serving in the Legislator for economic reasons. Most of the legislators have at least part-time jobs or careers that allow them to set their own hours. And some are retired or have family funds that give them economic flexibility.

Prusak and Williams said they named their PAC 9to5 after a Dolly Parton song. 

“The song is an anthem that still rings true today,” they said in a statement. 

“You’re in the same boat with a lot of your friends,” Parton sings. “Launching ideas you all believe in. The tide’s gonna turn.”

“We decided to pour ourselves a cup of ambition and support and mentor the diverse candidates who will advocate to modernize the Legislature,” Prusak and Williams said in their statement. 

As a first step, they are supporting five candidates:

-Jackie Leung, a Salem city councilor and executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Micronesian Islander Community, is running for House District 19 in Salem.

-Neelan Gupta, vice chair of the Lake Oswego School Board, is running for House District 38 covering Lake Oswego. 

-Annessa Hartman, a Gladstone city councilor, is running for House District 40, covering Gladstone. 

-Chelsea King, who chairs the West Linn-Wilsonville School Board, is running for Senate District 13. 

-Wlnsvey Campos, who currently represents Aloha in the House, is a candidate for the Senate District 18 in Portland.

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Les Zaitz for questions: [email protected]. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.

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