Woman’s Journey into Politics

A (Virtual) Conversation with Four Vermont Women Candidates

Thursday, April 14, 2022, 7 to 8:30 pm 

Zoom Link: https://bit.ly/AAUW-WIP

Vermont is the only state that has never elected a woman to Congress, but that may change in November 2022. Four Vermont women have already declared their candidacy for Vermont’s sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, being vacated by Representative Peter Welch.

Our April public meeting, held on Zoom, is “A Woman’s Journey Into Politics,” in which the four women candidates will take a break from the campaign trail to share their reflections on the challenges and opportunities facing women political candidates today.  We have invited members from the Middlebury and Brattleboro branches to join us and to help spread the word about this special opportunity.  We encourage you to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to join us, too.  To send a question the candidates, email it to: AAUWBennvt@gmail.com with Question for Candidates in the subject line.

To read more about each candidate, just click on her name.

• Becca Balint, State Senator (2015–present), Senate Majority Leader (2017-2021), and President Pro -Tempore (2021–present)
• Sianay Chase Clifford, former aide to U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
• Molly Gray, Lieutenant Governor of Vermont (2021–present)
• Kesha Ram Hinsdale, State Senator (2021–present), former State Representative (2009–2016), and candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2016.


What is it like to be a woman running for office today? Each woman will be asked to draw on her personal experience to answer that question, from when and how she entered politics to her decision to run for a seat which, if she wins, would make her the first woman for Vermont to send to Congress. Sample conversation topics include the role of mentorship in their political careers, an example of where their perspective as women has informed a policy position, and advice they might offer other women considering entering electoral politics. As candidates for a national position, Julie will ask for their thoughts on what Vermont might bring to the national dialogue and national trends for women in politics. We will reserve time at the end for a few questions from the virtual audience.

Our branch does not endorse candidates but we do support legislation that opens up and safeguards opportunities for women, and in past election years we have presented a Candidates Forum to air the political views and legislative positions of local candidates (women and men, Republicans and Democrats) running for the Vermont legislature.