“Pretty” Annoyed with David Freed
A recent article quoted David Freed, Republican candidate for Pennsylvania state Attorney General, saying that his opponent, Democrat Kathleen Kane is “pretty and has a lot of money.” Freed claimed that people often ask him how he plans to win the election, considering that Pennsylvania has one million more registered Democrats than Republicans. Instead of citing his own qualifications, he diminished Kane by citing her physical appearance and personal wealth as reasons for her success. Freed was addressing Bradford County Republican party activists when he made the statement.
Freed’s remarks were belittling to Kane and her campaign. Her extensive experience as a prosecutor, handling thousands of cases of child abuse and sexual assault, makes her an extremely qualified candidate for the state Attorney General position. Thankfully, the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and several elected officials rightfully criticized Freed’s remarks. Julia Ramsey, the PA Chair of NOW said:
“It’s a shame in 2012 that Mr. Freed would rather talk about Kathleen Kane’s appearance than his own credentials. Kathleen Kane is an accomplished career prosecutor who’s taken on violent sexual offenders and pedophiles. I guess it’s up to the voters to explain to Mr. Freed in November that Kane is more than just a ‘pretty’ face.”
Similarly, Bucks County Commissioner, Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia added:
“Pennsylvania is one of the lowest states in the nation in terms of the number of female elected officials. This sort of comment by Dave Freed is part of the reason why. This comment happened to be caught by a reporter…who knows what sort of thing he’s saying behind closed doors?”
Indeed, widespread sexism is one of the top problems facing women who are running for office. Sexist attacks decrease voter confidence for a woman candidate, affecting voters of all age groups.
Research done by Lake Research Foundation has shown that if the female candidate or a third party responds to the sexist attacks, the candidate can repair the damage and regain voters. The candidate will appear confident and self-assured to voters when highlighting the unjust comments made by others. The research shows that people, even those who never heard the original sexist comment, are significantly more likely to increase their support for the female candidate if she addresses the issue.While Freed’s comments are all too familiar in the political environment today, it is important to call out individuals for their sexist remarks. Report sexist media coverage at NameItChangeIt.org
Published by Kate McCarthy on 06/06/2012