This book explores women's campaign strategies when they ran for state and national office in California from their first opportunity after state suffrage in 1911 to the advent of modern feminism in 1970. Although only 18 won, nearly 500 women ran on the primary ballots, changing the political landscape for both men and women while struggling against a collective forgetfulness about their work. Mostly white and middle-class until the 1960s, the women discussed in this book are notable for their campaign innovations which became increasingly complex, even if not consciously connected to a...

This book explores the campaign history of California's women legislators and the increasingly complex strategies they used in efforts to transcend gender barriers when running for office from 1912 to 1970. Nearly 500 women ran on the primary ballots, re-gendering the political landscape while struggling against a recurring historical amnesia.