Let’s talk politics. Meet Erin Loos Cutraro (she/her), founder and CEO of She Should Run, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit working to drastically increase the number of women from all walks of life considering elected office. “In 2004, I stepped into politics as the campaign finance manager for Robin Carnahan, who was ultimately elected Secretary of State in Missouri,” she says. “My husband and I moved to Washington D.C., where I worked at The New Teacher Project and at the Women’s Campaign Fund as the Director of Politics & Education and later the Managing Vice President.”

Then, She Should Run came into the picture (as well as her daughters Coco and Dottie), “It first started as a project within the Women’s Campaign Fund, before becoming its own entity in 2011,” she shares. “We have a bold goal of inspiring 250k women to take their first steps toward public leadership and join our community by 2030. The bottom line: We are working to eliminate the very real political ambition gap between men and women and flood the candidate pool with women who represent the full diversity of perspectives and life experiences of this country.”

Maybe you’ve thought about jumping into politics but didn’t know where to start, or maybe you just wished that fictional characters like Leslie Knope were real government officials. Either way, keep reading to feel inspired… and maybe do something about it.

She Should Run recently released their “Group Chat Issues” report. What did you guys find?
First, we called it the “Group Chat Issues” report to reframe the term “kitchen table issues,” capturing the spirit of women in 2023 and highlighting the everyday issues that actually matter to them. We commissioned the report to uncover the motivators that can move a woman towards elected leadership, with the specific goal of connecting the dots between the societal issues that have a disproportionate effect on women and the motivations that encourage them to consider elected office. The report found that the majority of women are motivated by the economy, climate change, reproductive health, racism, and gun violence. Our research also found a connection between those issues and the causes women are most likely to take action on, specifically those related to children, health, education, and poverty. From this data, She Should Run found that 22.4% (or 24.4M) of adult women in the U.S. are primed to take action and be motivated to seek elected office.

Why is it important for women to get involved in public leadership now more than ever?
We are definitely seeing a lack of women being encouraged to and deciding to run for office. Women have been consistently underrepresented in government with women representing 51% of the population but holding fewer than a third of all elected offices. Our most pressing challenges have disproportionate effects on women. Look at climate change, where across the world, women depend more on natural resources though they have less access to them. The UN estimates that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. In results from YWCA USA’s YWomenVote 2022 study, 76% of women indicated they were somewhat or very worried about mass shootings and/or gun violence. Anxiety around gun violence was even higher among women of color, with 82% of Hispanic women and 81% of Black women expressing this concern.

Don’t we need to have a political background to run for these roles though?
You do not need a political background to run for office! This is one of the most common misconceptions that we are constantly trying to debunk. First, remember that there are over 500k elected offices in this country when you consider all local, state, and federal positions, and many are not full-time. Second, the best qualities in leaders aren’t those obtained from a political science degree but from a real understanding of the issues and how to connect with your community. There are programs available to help women learn the basics they will need to run for office—from fundraising to media training and other types of campaigning. Where we come in is at the starting line of helping them realize their potential.

What’s the first step we should take if we want to get involved?
Start by identifying the issues that matter to you and then connect to them by getting involved in your community. Attend town hall meetings. Follow local and national politics and look for opportunities to better support the causes you’re involved with. Joining the She Should Run Community provides you access to free resources including programs to help women on their journey of considering elected office.

Do you have any advice if someone feels uncertain about taking that first step?
Every journey starts the same way: with a first step. She Should Run was founded on the idea that our democracy stands to benefit from the diverse experiences that women bring to leadership. But we need to work together to help them see themselves in office. She Should Run is here to support women who are curious. If you’re uncertain, we’d say, “Great!” At least you’re thinking about it. It may be years before you ultimately decide to run and that’s ok—what matters is that you’re on the journey of discovering your purpose.

What events do you guys have coming up that we could join?
We have several upcoming events this month and beyond:

WHAT: America 1 Year After Dobbs: How local women can take up the mantle of reproductive health.
WHEN: June 21st, 2023.
WHERE: Reserve your spot.

WHAT: Economy & Me: How equality starts with us.
WHEN: August 23rd, 2023.
WHERE: Reserve your spot.

WHAT: Lifting as We Climb: How we can grow a diverse movement to address racism.
WHEN: October 18th, 2023.
WHERE: Reserve your spot.