A good day for women…

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Tuesday's Arizona primary was a good day for women. 

As we all know, the Arizona Legislature was on the forefront of the War on Women in the spring of 2012. Our legislators passed some of the country's most draconian laws restricting access to contraception, crippling Planned Parenthood, claiming that personhood begins before conception, and forcing women to submit to vaginal ultrasounds against their will. 

Primary day was a good day for women because all eleven of the women candidates backed by the pro-choice group Arizona List won their races. The only way we can change Arizona's reactionary ways is to change our government in Phoenix. We're counting on these women to help us do that.

Candidate list after the jump.

Congratulations to…

Victoria Steele

Stefanie Mach

Mohur Sidwha

Debbie McCune-Davis

Katie Hobbs

Lela Alston

Charlene Fernandez

Lisa Otondo

Olivia Cajero-Bedford

Leah Landrum-Taylor

Emily Verdugo.

Those who won uncontested races include:

Rosanna Gabaldon

Andrea Dalessandro

Linda Lopez

Sally Ann Gonzales

Angela LeFevre

Jo Holt

Barbara McGuire

Janie Hydrick

Jackie Thrasher

Tonya Norwood

Carole Lokare

Lynne Pancrazi

Pat Fleming

On the Congressional level, four women (two Democrats and two Republicans) will be running against four men: Kyrsten Sinema (D, CD9), Ann Kirkpatrick (D, CD1), Martha McSally (R, CD2), and Gabriela Saucedo Mercer (R, CD3). Sinema and Kirkpatrick are pro-choice. Several months ago, during a special election debate with Jesse Kelly and Frank Antenori, McSally said she was pro-life. This was before some of the crazier laws were passed. McSally caused a stir when she was in the service in the Middle East and refused to wear a burka. (Sounds a bit feminist to me.) I wonder what she thinks of forced vaginal ultrasound?

Will this primary success for pro-choice women candidates translate into new Congresswomen and more women in the Arizona Legislature? Only you can make that happen.