What’s Your Victory?

In politics, it can seem that the only way to “win“ is to actually hold office, and that anything less than that means (very public) failure. This binary win-lose paradigm is limiting and destructive, and may discourage many young women from entering the political arena.

DemocraShe puts forth a different vision - that simply entering the space at all is a victory. 

The question then becomes, which victory will you have?

• Will you win by showing up like the human being you want to be at every step along the way?

• Will you win by engaging with and empowering your community?

• Will you win by running in an area where no one thinks you have a chance, and creating the beginning of a movement?

• Will you win by inspiring a young woman to believe that she can have a future in politics?

• Will you win by bringing attention to issues you care about?

• Will you win by holding an incumbent accountable?

• Will you win by being a different and new voice, a voice that deserves to be heard?

• Will you win by actually holding office, and using your office to make real positive change?

We can redefine what it means to run for office. Imagine entering a political space where instead of experiencing potential failure, you experience different types of success. This opens up political candidacy to a whole new group of exciting candidates, especially young women. And the more women run, the more women will be elected. Meanwhile, women that do not actually get to hold office will be able to celebrate themselves and others for the transformational change that they bring. 

We believe in a political space that is not win/lose, but win/win. The question then just becomes: what is your victory?