Between the unprecedented number of women running for office—and the fact that millennial women are poised to become the country’s most powerful voters—real women everywhere have the potential to not only influence America but redefine it. Refinery29 is on the frontlines of this revolution in the making, reporting on what women really want for our shared future.
Behind the Headlines
Paulette Jordan Is Neither Democrat Nor Republican—She's Purely Idaho
New York's 2nd Congressional district has long been considered a waste of time for Democrats — that is, until Liuba Grechen Shirley came along.
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Liuba Grechen Shirley may be ready for Congress — but she’s not quite ready for this interview. She opens the door of the pale grey farmhouse in a lilac bathrobe with multiple apologies. “I’m running so behind,” she says, before leading us inside and promptly running for the stairs. “Make yourselves at home. No one is dressed yet, just give me a few minutes — Mom! Can you make breakfast?”
It’s about 9:15 am on a rainy Monday in September, as our Refinery29 crew, here to document a day-in-the-life of one of the most exciting underdog candidates in the 2018 midterm election cycle, settles into the cozy living room. The dogs are barking their heads off, and competing giggles and screams fill the old house, where five generations of the Grechen family have lived. Grechen Shirley’s great grandparents bought the house in the ‘40s, and it is the house she was raised in. Now, she lives here with her husband, Christopher, her mother, Kathy, plus her two young children, two cats, and two dachshunds. Read more...
Featured Stories
The Power Is Yours To Take
Black women have been on the frontlines of social change in the United States for decades. Now, they're building a progressive movement to remake the rural Deep South.
It’s a humid, late August evening, and more than three dozen residents, community leaders, and activists are milling about inside the Stonehouse Restaurant, which sits off a quiet dirt road in Cuthbert, Georgia. Despite the sweltering heat and incessant gnats, which are to be expected in this part of southwest Georgia this time of year, the people in this room have gathered from all over the state with a sense of urgency.“We have a serious, tremendous problem evolving here in Randolph County and it’s because we slipped,” Bobby Fuse, a longtime community organizer and a chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, says to the crowd. Read more...
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A few weeks ago, I stood outside a small house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, inhaling the smell of freshly cut grass and straining to hear the sound of footsteps inside the house. I glanced down one more time at my canvassing list — Mary, registered Democrat, 87 years old — and thought for a split second about the candidate I was there to talk about, Maria Collett, who is running for Pennsylvania’s State Senate this year.
When the door opened, the person standing in front of me was not the little old lady I expected, but a young dad trailed by a dog and two curious kids. After we each introduced ourselves, Jeff told me that his family had just moved, and they didn’t know much about their local or state politics.
Perfect, I thought, because I’m here to tell you. I told him about, Maria, who has spent most of her career advocating for children as both a lawyer and a nurse, and her platform which is centered on affordable healthcare and investment in public education. When I started my spiel, Jeff seemed to be waiting for me to finish talking so he could get on with his day. But when I mentioned education, Jeff lit up. His wife was a teacher, and he’d seen her pay out of pocket for school supplies that her schools wouldn’t cover. And having recently moved to the state, he was shocked by how much the Pennsylvania government had slashed funding for his own kids’ schools — instead relying on ever-increasing property taxes to fund them. Read more...
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CBS Poll
R29 + CBS News Poll
Will women storm the ballot box this November?
It’s a go-to question among pundits, but in fact, they know very little about the hearts and minds of the country’s 18.4 million millennial women – because most pollsters haven’t bothered to ask. That’s why Refinery29 and CBS News teamed up for a survey of 2,093 American adult women, with a special spotlight on those between 18 and 35 from across racial, ideological and party lines. What do women want, and how might that affect the mid-term elections? Here’s what we found out.
The Mood Of The Country, According To Millennial Women
70% of millennial women feel their individual rights and liberties are being threatened right now. 35% say they are more motivated to get involved in politics, due to the events of the past year.
53% of young women say that the Trump Administration’s policies have mostly hurt women. 36% say they haven’t had much effect on women. 11% say they’ve helped women.
By more than 2 to 1, millennial women want to see Democrats take control of Congress in 2018.
Which best describes how you feel about Donald Trump’s presidency so far?
Compared to two years ago, do you find it easier or harder today to talk to people who have different political views than you do?
Power At The Polls?
Are you registered to vote?
What this means:
A full 42% of millennial women might not vote. Of those who said they either aren’t registered or don’t know, only 20% said they planned on registering before midterms. The top reasons cited for not voting: “Not interested in politics or elections” (31%) and “don’t think my vote matters (19%).
As of now, how likely are you to vote in the 2018 midterm elections for Congress?
“I just feel like my vote probably doesn’t make much of a difference. And I don’t know the candidates that much to even know who I would vote for.”
— Ashley Johnson, 26, Oregon
On The Candidates
When voting, the main quality millennial women look for in a candidate is that they share their culture and values.
Close to half rated a candidate’s identity as a woman as a “low priority” and a little over one in three said the same for a candidate’s status as a racial minority. What’s more important to millennial women: A candidate’s political experience and to a lesser extent, his or her political party.
Only 26% rated “belonging to the same political party” as a “high priority” for getting their vote.
If more women were elected to political office in the U.S., things would be:
Which is the main reason you think things would be better?
If a Congressional candidate supports the #MeToo movement, would that make you...
If a candidate for Congress described herself as a socialist, would you be...
On The Issues
The No.1 issue for midterms, according to women of all ages: Healthcare.
For millennial women, civil rights and equality and equal pay are right behind healthcare. Many older women agree these are important issues, but they are outranked by issues like the economy and immigration.
From what you know, how have the changes made to the healthcare laws last year affected you and your family?
Do you think abortion should be...
Should Roe V. Wade be overturned?
Immigrants coming to the United States make American society...
Which statement comes closest to your view about climate change?
Do you consider yourself to be a feminist, or not?
Is your opinion of Ivanka Trump...
6 out of 10 millennial women say Ivanka Trump has no influence on President Trump.
Who do Millennial women trust to provide accurate information?
Survey conducted by YouGov. Margin of error is 4.2 pts for the 18-35 group. For total sample of women, the margin of error is 3pts.
Survey Methodology: The Refinery29/CBS News Poll was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample on 2,093 U.S. women adults interviewed online between July 26-30, 2018. The final sample included and oversample of 842 women
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