Following Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 presidential election, a record number of women ran for political office in the 2018 midterm elections. Highlighted in this inspiring educational documentary are three women with little political experience who ran for U.S. Congressional seats in their districts.
The political documentary hopscotches back and forth between the women, beginning with Jana Lynne Sanchez running for election in a Texas district that has not backed a Democrat in 36 years. Nurse Lauren Underwood from Naperville, Illinois, and attorney Liz Watson from Bloomington, Indiana are the other candidates, all of whom are waging uphill battles to win congressional seats from powerful and sometimes wealthy men, such as Trey Hollingsworth whose net worth is more than five million dollars.
The program follows the women on the campaign trail as they knock on doors, make phone calls, engage in debates, and meet with potential donors and supporters. All three win their primaries (Sanchez had to face a runoff vote) and continue their grueling campaigns. Lauren Underwood, the youngest at age 31, admits she is giving up everything in her quest for victory in a suburban Chicago district that is 86% white; Underwood is African American.
Sanchez’s obstacles include running against an incumbent who has held the seat since 1984, receiving no support from the Democratic party, and facing an electorate that is often apathetic about voting. Facing a wealthy candidate, Watson knows she must raise money to compete as a pro-labor candidate in a red district. Suffice it to say that one of the women is a surprise winner with two of them going down in defeat yet appreciative of the support and experience they received.
Featuring a few onscreen comments from experts including Patti Russo from Yale University who talks about the challenges women face in the political arena, the bulk of the documentary follows the women throughout their respective campaigns up and through election night victory and defeats. Screening this film for your community would be an excellent way to promote civic involvement at local, state, and federal levels and to encourage others, both men and women, to run for office and get politically involved. This title would make a great addition to any film collection for women's studies and political majors. Recommended. Aud: C, P.