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Welcome to the Archives of Women's Political Communication

The Archives of Women's Political Communication is an online archives launched in 2006 by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University devoted entirely to women's political speech. The archives houses the speeches and campaign advertising of U.S. women senators and representatives, cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, governors and lieutenant governors, and first and second ladies; international women leaders; and recipients of the Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics at Iowa State University. It also features the speeches of historically significant women, social activists and women who have used their position of celebrity to advocate for political causes.

Speeches and ads are continually being gathered by our staff and added to the archives. Please feel free to contact us with any suggestions for additions to our collection.

The archives is made possible through a generous gift from the late Richard and Mary Jo Stanley.

The archives is designed to serve as a resource for faculty and students in a variety of fields and for members of the public interested in women's political communication. The political affiliations of the women included in the archives or sentiments expressed in the speeches and ads do not necessarily represent the views of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics or Iowa State University, and their inclusion in the archives should not be considered an endorsement by the center or the university.

Featured profile
María Teresa Kumar
María Teresa Kumar is the founding president and CEO of Voto Latino. Under her leadership, Voto Latino has registered over a quarter million voters. Kumar was born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1974, emigrating to the United States with her family when she was four years old and growing up in Sonoma, California. She received a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the University of California, Davis and a master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Between degrees, she worked as a legislative aide for congressman and Democratic Caucus chair Vic Fazio. In 2004, she co-founded Voto Latino, an advocacy group whose initial mission was to increase voter registration among Latinos in the U.S. and whose focus now includes civic engagement, issue advocacy and leadership development. Kumar is a guest analyst on NPR and PBS, a panelist on Bill Maher’s HBO show and an opinion writer for national publications. She serves on the national boards of EMILY’s List, Planned Parenthood Federation and the Latino Leaders Network. In 2010, Kumar received an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding News Discussion and Analysis category for the MSNBC television special, Beyond Borderlines. More
"Progress is calling to you to make no pause. Act!"
Carrie Chapman Catt (August 26, 1920)