The decision by the Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus to stop endorsing male candidates as of July 1 was kind of a big deal. Earlier in the year, the 37-year-old political organization's National Caucus voted to change their bylaws so as to only endorse female candidates running for political office. The KC chapter of the WPC had to decide: vote to change their bylaws to match, or lose their affiliation with the National Caucus.
Jolie Justus at a recent rally.
The decision caused a considerable amount of upheaval. Politicians running in today's election worried that KC's WPC would be too busy with its own inner turmoil to offer the same level of support as it has in the past.
"It's a catastrophe," Theresa Garza Ruiz told The Pitch a month ago. Ruiz is running for re-election to the Jackson County Legislature, 1st District At-Large. "I'm in the middle of a campaign and could use their help," she said with a laugh. "It's a no-win, no matter what."
Some GKCWPC members raised some significant downsides to the change in bylaws. The Women's Political Caucus will have to stay silent on races in which no female candidates are running, some argued. And what about the men who are career politicians and have proven their support for women's issues?
Jolie Justus, who is running for re-election to her 10th District Senate seat, says she wasn't entirely behind the decision at first. "My knee-jerk reaction was, of course we have to endorse men," she tells The Pitch. "Then it occurred to me ... one of the things we should be doing is, if there aren't women running in a race, to work to get women in the race. It's not sexist so much as, it makes sense. I understand why they've done what they've done and I support the folks who decided it's important to stay with national."Sen.
The GKCWPC offers an explanation on its website, which says in part, "The Caucus exists to overcome and then solve [the problems female candidates face] by leveling the playing field."
The local chapter has endorsed a slate of candidates that includes both Garza Ruiz and Justus.
It's likely that the caucus' members who lost this argument still harbor some mixed feelings. Will the political group retain the power it has traditionally wielded in the local political scene? Their annual Torch Dinner, coming up September 30th, should be interesting, to say the least.
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