Gov. Beverly Perdue said she belongs to a too-exclusive club.
Speaking at a pro-choice women's luncheon in Washington Sunday, North Carolina's first female governor half-joked that she had joined the "Girls' Governors Club" alongside "lifetime members" such as Arizona's Janet Napolitano and New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen.
"They're the lifetime members and I'm the newbie," she said. "There's only one little problem for those of us in America: This club is much too exclusive. In the history of this great country, there now have been only 30 elected (female) governors."
Perdue thanked the members and leaders of EMILY's List, which sponsored the luncheon, for their support of her campaign, noting that she had raised a record $18 million — more than three times her Republican opponent, Pat McCrory.
"You all, that's what it takes to win if you're a woman in America," she said. "You have to work harder and you have to be smarter."
She also spoke strongly in favor of abortion rights, an issue that flared up briefly during the Democratic primary, but not come up much during the general election.
"We are one of a few Southern states — just a very few — where choice has been saved," she said. "I've spent a lot of my years with a lot of other people making that possible for all those little girls who will follow after me, and let me tell you, that will not change with me as governor."
| Perdue at Emily's List |
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Re: Perdue joins the Girls' Governors Club
It is interesting, though, that Governor Perdue does not have any women in leadership roles (chief of staff, spokesperson, legislative liasion, economic advisor, etc.) in her office. Seems like if she were truly interested in creating opportunities for 'girls', she'd start with women in her own office.