| No Images? Click here   In early May, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation that amounted to a near-total ban on abortion in the state. Only a few weeks later, a first-time candidate training session attracted hundreds of potential Democratic candidates, including many women who were outraged about the legislation. Here’s Jenavieve Hatch on talking with these candidates-to-be. Tell us about Kelly Rose. Why did she show up at the candidate training session?I noticed Kelly Rose for a few reasons: her pink hair, and the fact that she was up front in every seminar taking diligent notes. She spent weeks trying to work with elected officials in Henry County before the vote, and she was so angry by how she was treated that she decided to run. She took very seriously the idea of representation — of representing her community and their needs and values. Some of the women in this piece describe a shift in opinion about abortion after the extreme laws passed in Georgia, Alabama and elsewhere. Why was that?It sounds like the extreme nature of this bills, like the Alabama bill which had no exceptions for rape or incest, made some adamantly "pro-life" women pause. A lot of women are "pro-life" in the region because of their religion and because of the cultural norms that sort of assign that belief to them. But these laws were extreme enough to make all women — regardless of party or religion — think twice. What are the chances the Georgia legislature can be retaken, and this law overturned?In the recently released Netflix documentary "Knock Down the House," the overarching theme was that 100 women have to run for office for one woman to actually win. I think that’s true in Georgia. The women running against formerly unopposed Republican men are realistic about the challenge ahead. They seemed to understand that simply running is a huge step regardless of outcome, but they are in it for the long haul and prepared for the fight. What were some of the other reasons these first-time candidates want to run for office?A lot of the people thinking about running were there as part of the ripple effect of 2016 — people still outraged at Trump’s victory. Caroline Self is a great example. She moved home to Alabama from New York because after the election, she "realized what a bubble I’ve been in." Also, women, younger people, and people of color want to see themselves and their communities represented in their legislatures. I think they understand that it's going to take more than one election cycle to get there. 🔥 More Must Reads 🔥
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