Politics are a natural part of any sorority. When navigating any large group of people, never mind a large group of women, certain political skills come in handy: negotiation, leadership, networking, bullshitting. So it should come as no surprise that Fortune ran a column this week titled “Want to get into politics? Join a sorority.”
When you look at the 26 female chief executive officers of Fortune 500 companies, only two of them are Greek. IBM’s Ginni Rometty was a Kappa Kappa Gamma at Northwestern and and Oracle’s Safra Catz was a Chi Omega at UPenn. However, many of the women in politics pledged during their undergraduate years. In fact, according to the Fortune column, “nearly half of the women currently serving in the U.S. Senate pledged sororities before running for office.” With the election next Tuesday, here are some sorority women who are running for both Senate and the House of Representatives.
Kay Hagan
Senate (Incumbent)
State: North Carolina
Party: Democrat
Sorority Affiliation: Chi Omega, Florida State University
Quick Facts: Hagan defeated Elizabeth Dole (Delta Delta Delta, Duke University), the incumbent, for this Senate seat in 2008. In doing so, she became the first woman to defeat an incumbent woman in a Senate election. She has served in the Senate since 2009.
Susan Brooks
House of Representatives (Incumbent)
State: Indiana
Party: Republican
Sorority Affiliation: Alpha Omicron Pi, Miami University (Ohio)
Quick Facts: Brooks, a lawyer, earned the prestigious Who’s Who in law twice, in 2002 and 2011. She has served in the House of Representatives since 2013.
Mary Landrieu
Senator (Incumbent)
State: Louisiana
Party: Democrat
Sorority Affiliation: Delta Gamma, Louisiana State University
Quick Facts: Landrieu was the youngest woman ever elected to Louisiana’s House of Representatives when she was elected at age 23. She has served in the Senate since 1997.
Shelley Moore Capito
Current Member, House of Representatives; Running for Senate
State: West Virginia
Party: Republican
Sorority Affiliation: Kappa Kappa Gamma, Duke University
Quick Facts: Capito formerly chaired the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues. She has served in the House of Representatives since 2001.
Kathy Castor
House of Representatives (Incumbent)
State: Florida
Party: Democrat
Sorority Affiliation: Delta Delta Delta, Emory University
Quick Facts: Castor was named as the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Woman of the Year in government in 2005. She has served in the House of Representatives since 2007.
Marsha Blackburn
House of Representatives (Incumbent)
State: Tennessee
Party: Republican
Sorority Affiliation: Chi Omega, Mississippi State University
Quick Facts: Blackburn was identified as one of the three best freshmen members during her first term in Congress by the Washingtonian. She has served in the House of Representatives since 2003. .
[via Fortune]
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, and documenting her love of all things cheese related. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
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