War, Scandal Could Make This 'Year of the Woman'

Oct. 18, 2006 — -- They are leading the attack on ethics issues, vowing to clean up Washington, and reaching out to erstwhile "security moms" who have turned against the war.

Women candidates -- mostly Democrats -- may prove the biggest beneficiaries of this year's scandal-dominated headlines and the growing voter disgust with Congress.

It may not be another "Year of the Woman" exactly, but women are poised to make the biggest gains for their gender in Washington in years.

Among the most competitive House races, at least 17 feature a female challenger, raising the possibility that the House of Representatives could see double-digit gains in the number of women members.

In the Senate, a net gain by just one female challenger would put a record number of women in that chamber, surpassing the current record of 14.

There are two nonincumbent women with good shots at winning Senate seats: Democrat Amy Klobuchar, running for an open seat in Minnesota, and Democrat Claire McCaskill, challenging GOP Sen. Jim Talent in Missouri.

Among incumbent women senators up for re-election, two -- Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. -- have faced significant opposition, but both women are comfortably ahead in recent polling.

On top of all that, if Democrats seize control of the House, this year would likely usher in the first female speaker in the nation's history, Rep. Nancy Pelosi -- a significant milestone for women in politics.

Unlike in 1992, the original so-called "Year of the Woman," when the number of women in the House jumped from 28 to 47, and in the Senate from four to seven, there are not a record number of women running overall this year.

But the overall political climate, and the strong dissatisfaction voters are expressing with the direction of the country, is helping to fuel the candidacies of women on the ballot -- who tend to be seen as Washington outsiders, and as honest and ethical.

"When people look for change, women tend to fare well," said Debbie Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. "They're not the standard-issue member of Congress. They're not a white man in a blue suit with a red tie."