Women keep politics honest

This is a generalization, I know. As Mark Twain is said to have said, "All generalizations are false, including this one." But there is growing evidence that women tend to be more protective of our American democracy than men. They are more willing to put their foot down when partisan schemers try to game the electoral system, mostly by changing the rules or gerrymandering. A recent sign that women place more value on being a force for good comes out of conservative Utah. Both parties gerrymander, that is, draw voting district boundaries to give unfair advantage to their candidates. But a faith-based group called Mormon Women for Ethical Government wanted to stop that practice. In 2018, they backed Proposition 4, a ballot measure to create an independent districting commission that would prevent gerrymandering. It passed a statewide vote. The backstory: Utah remains solidly Republican, but its capital, Salt Lake City, has become bluer in recent years. In 2021, the Republican-run legislature drew its own congressional map that split Salt Lake County to favor their party. The women sued. It takes a certain inner steel to keep things honest when gaming the system might result in a preferred outcome. About 40% of the Mormon women's group are registered Republicans, and only 34% are Democrats. Their motivation is simply to maintain a level playing field. "Gerrymandering breaks things," the group's co-executive director Emmy Petty Adams said. "It physically fractures communities. It breaks trust." The matter has been in and out of courts, and the fight is not over. But because the Utah Supreme Court refused in February to block the new nonpartisan map, the 2026 election will be conducted under the new districts. Defenders of democratic integrity understand that safeguarding free and fair elections is the best way to guarantee the public good. It's in their interest to ensure that their votes are properly counted. It was hard to find a more conservative and politically brave House Republican than Wyoming's Liz Cheney. She voted to impeach President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6, 2001 attack on the Capitol and did not flinch before the inevitable blowback. She was also one of only two Republicans to later serve on the House Jan. 6 Select Committee, which investigated the violent rampage and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The other Republican was Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a decorated combat veteran. Cheney ran for another term, undoubtedly knowing that she would lose the Republican primary to Trump's revenge pick. Kinzinger retired from the House. "If I have to choose between maintaining a seat in the House of Representatives or protecting the constitutional republic," Cheney said shortly before the primary vote, "I'm going to choose the Constitution and the truth every single day." Over in the Senate, Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska voted to convict Trump for inciting an insurrection. Five Republican men did join them: Richard Burr, North Carolina; Bill Cassidy, Louisiana; Mitt Romney, Utah; Ben Sasse, Nebraska; and Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania. It's important to note, however, that there were 42 male Republicans in the Senate compared with just eight female Republicans. Thus, the men voting for conviction represented only 12% of the male Republican caucus, while the two women represented a quarter of its female members. Four of the men subsequently retired. Cassidy remained in office, but come the primary, Trump punished him by endorsing Rep. Julia Letlow. She went on to become Louisiana's Republican Senate nominee. Cassidy gets credit for putting himself before the voters. Of course, there are plenty of unprincipled women in politics. No need to list them here. The point is that women seem more invested in keeping politics honest, as a generalization, of course. Follow Froma Harrop on X @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com