This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Women who plan to run for public office this year can get a boost this weekend at a free event.
Real Women Run is offering training designed for candidates at all levels of government and their campaign staffs, as well as caucus candidates and future delegates. The training will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hinckley Institute of Politics, 260 S. Central Campus Drive at the University of Utah. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
The session topics will include social media, messaging and campaign research, delegate and caucus training, field organization and building a campaign structure, and fundraising. Scheduled speakers and presenters are former legislators Sheryl Allen, Jackie Biskupski, political campaign veterans Evelyn Call, Maura Carabello and Kitty Dunn and Julie McAdams, an attorney and wife of Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams.
Real Women Run is a nonpartisan group that helps empower women to participate in public life by running for office, serving on public boards and commissions and working on campaigns. According to the organization, statistics show that women candidates win elections at the same rate as men but fewer women nationwide run for public office.
Call, who has worked for Sen. Orrin Hatch and Sen. Mike Lee's election committees, said the training will give participants the information and confidence they need to make a bid for elected office.
"This is something they can do," said Call, who is the spokeswoman for the Utah Child Protection Registry. "Women need to be involved in government."
She added that good government comes "when both men's and women's voices are heard."
The event will take place just as the candidate-filing period begins and only a few days before major political parties hold neighborhood caucuses, where attendees vote for county and state delegates. Those delegates then attend state and county conventions, where they choose party nominees for office or send the top two vote-getters to a primary.
The candidate filing period is Friday through March 20. Democratic caucuses are on March 18 and Republican caucuses take place on March 20.
To RSVP for the training, contact Mckelle Hamson at mhamson@ywca.com or 801-537-8612 or register at http://www.realwomenrun.org.
Twitter: PamelaMansonSLC —
Free training
P What • Training for women interested in running for office or participating in campaigns.
When • Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where • University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics, 260 S. Central Campus Drive.