My neighbor in Ansley Park, a neighborhood in midtown Atlanta, has this sign in her front yard.

It sums up what is at stake in the governor’s race in Georgia and in many others — will we elect governors who will advocate for sane and safe gun laws and who will make the restoration of reproductive rights a priority? As I’ve written before and understand more clearly every day that moves us closer to these important midterm elections — governors are more important than ever. So are state legislators.

Over the past two decades, gerrymandering, dark money and voting restrictions have meant that many state legislatures do not truly represent the politics of their constituents. (If you're interested in learning how gerrymandering is affecting your state, check out this interactive map from the filmmakers of the Participant film, Slay The Dragon.)

With a Supreme Court that is leaning conservative and moving many policy decisions back to the states, more important decisions are happening at the state level — most notably for women, the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision means that states now have the power to legislate a woman's right to choose. And I believe with every fiber of my being the truth of another popular yard sign I've seen: “The hardest decision a woman ever has to make is mine. Not yours.”

But that decision about if and when and even how to make reproductive choices is being taken away by many state legislators who have already voted to outlaw abortion, even in cases of pending miscarriage or pregnancy caused by rape or incest, with some even limiting or making it much more difficult to seek fertility treatments. We are living in a time that looks more and more like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and for those of us who came of reproductive age before Roe vs. Wade, like the dark ages!

Along with legislating control over women — state lawmakers also have been passing bills aggress­ively attemp­ting to limit voting access and roll back gains in voter turnout. The Brennan Center reports that at least 151 election interference bills have been intro­duced in 27 states.

And who will be our last line of defense and the frontline of advocacy in protecting reproductive rights, voting rights, and perhaps other rights, in many of these states? Governors.  

"Four states with Republican-controlled legislatures and Democratic governors – Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – are holding gubernatorial races in November. It’s important to pay attention to gubernatorial elections in battleground states, especially ones like Georgia and Arizona where Republicans currently control both the governor’s mansion and the state legislature,” reported The Guardian's Joan Greve in May.

"'The future of reproductive rights will be defined at the state level,' said Christina Amestoy, senior communications advisor for the Democratic Governors Association. 'Who sits in the governor’s office will determine a woman’s ability to access abortion.'”

Beyond just being strategic about preserving rights, let's also consider the fact that in all of U.S. history, just 2% of governors have been women. 2 percent! With that in mind, I want to write about several races and Emily's list, a group that is working hard to change the face of leadership across America. 

Founded in 1985 by Ellen R. Malcolm, Emily's List was established to help women raise money to run for office. The name was an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast" (i.e., it makes the dough rise). A convention of politics that remains true to this day is that receiving major donations early in a race is helpful in attracting other, later donors. Over time, Emily's List has evolved and continues to fundraise for progressive women candidates with a strategic approach to recruiting, winning elections and mobilizing voters. When you donate to Emily's List, you get vital information and a regularly updated election guide. I have relied on it since the beginning to be informed, engaged, and supportive of pro-choice women candidates.

Earlier this month, I received an email from Emily's List highlighting 11 exceptional women running for governor in November. 

In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is running for re-election and there is also an abortion proposal on the ballot. Last week, Whitmer told the Detroit Free Press Editorial Board that if she wins re-election and the ballot measure protecting women's reproductive rights passes, she plans to go to anti-abortion states and talk to industry leaders about relocating to Michigan. It would be a win for women and a win for businesses who support reproductive rights. 

In Arizona, a judge ruled in September that the state can enforce a 120-year-old law that makes it a crime for anyone to perform an abortion — surgically or with drugs — in the state, punishable by two to five years in prison. A day after the judge's ruling, reports CBS News, "Democrat Katie Hobbs held a press conference promising to 'use every tool at my disposal to restore abortion rights in Arizona.'"

In Georgia, our current governor Brian Kemp, signed a law prohibiting most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy that went into effect a few days after the Dobbs decision. And, after the 2020 election, in which Georgia Democrats did surprisingly well, winning at the Presidential and U.S. Senate levels, the legislature and Gov. Kemp passed and signed Senate Bill 202, which limited the number of ballot drop boxes and introduced an ID requirement,  making it more difficult to cast absentee ballots. GOP officials also made it illegal to offer food and water to voters forced to wait in long lines. 

The good news is that voters I encounter in Georgia and around the country during my travels seem motivated, energized and aware of what’s at stake in these elections, particularly for women. I'm counting on us to elect the governors who will regulate guns, not women and who will protect the touchstone of a healthy democratic government — the right to vote and be counted.

Women gave their lives for us to have the right to vote. Let’s use that power to vote for leaders who will lead our states and our country forward, recognizing and respecting the rights of more than half of the citizens of this democracy.

Onward!

-Pat