Statement by Chair of NOW PAC Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC) has analyzed the more than 400 questions asked of the Democratic presidential candidates during the four primary debates held since June. 

The fifth debate on November 20 will for the first moderated entirely by women—Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell and Kristen Welker of NBC, and Ashley Parker of the Washington Post.  NOW PAC is calling on the moderators to ask the candidates the questions that have been missing from the conversation so far on issues that disproportionately affect women. For example: 

• There have been 21 questions about education, but zero about sexual assault on campus.   
• There have been zero questions about sexual harassment and the #MeToo era, and zero questions about violence against immigrant women. 
• While gun control has been a hot topic, gender-based gun violence has been ignored.   
• The debates have been dominated by questions about health care, but zero questions on other important issues facing women and families, including childcare, universal preschool and paid family leave.  

NOW PAC submitted details of our analysis to the debate moderators, as well as a “Decisive Dozen” suggested questions that are not “niche issues” or “identity politics,” but urgent topics that are on the minds of millions of Americans.   

We also support the nationwide #AskThemMore campaign about the issues that face women and their families and launched a social media campaign to encourage the moderators to ask the candidates about these concerns.

Our message to the moderators: Get the candidates on the record on the issues that women and families live with, worry about, and have to overcome each and every day. 

Contact

Kimberly Hayes, Press Secretary, press@now.org, 202-570-4745