She’s energized

Celebrate the women, including more than 50 in Texas, running for a congressional seat.

The 2018 elections are turning out to be a watershed moment in the long and fitful journey toward women’s full participation in America’s political life. It took more than 70 years after ratification of the 19th Amendment for the number of women in the U.S. Congress to climb much above 30, and many held seats vacated by their husbands. Today that number stands at 106 of 535 members; the Texas delegation includes only three women out of 38. As we approach the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in 2020, men still rule.

But thanks to a lot of boorish men, and brave women who stood up to them, the wave of indignation at the election of President Donald Trump and a flood of women outing very powerful men for assault and sexual harassment has drawn a motherlode of women candidates, both Democrats and Republicans, into congressional races across the country. The count fluctuates as more filings are recorded and some candidates drop out, but about 440 are on the books so far, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Texas has more than 50; the Houston area has a whopping 11. In 2016, only 18 Texas women ran for a congressional seat. And if the second annual women’s marches last weekend are any indication, the enthusiasm isn’t limited to running for office. Women are gearing up to get out the vote.

Why does it matter? The simple answer is basic fairness. Texas’ population is 51 percent female, whose views are represented by the meager three women in Congress and only 29 in the 181-seat state Legislature. Yes, men can represent women’s issues, but a growing body of research indicates that too often they don’t. Women in Congress are more likely to sponsor bills that address education, health and poverty, according to a study in the American Journal of Political Science. Men focus more on agriculture, energy and macroeconomics.

Were there more women in Congress, for example, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which offers health coverage to about 9 million kids in low-income families, might not have been allowed to expire at the end of September, its reauthorization used as a negotiating chip in budget skirmishes.

With more women in the Texas Legislature, the state might not have forced the closure of more than 80 women’s health clinics since 2011, and Texas might no longer be a national leader in teen pregnancies and low-birth-weight and pre-term babies. Nor would it likely hold the dubious distinction of having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world. With more women in Congress, maybe more attention would be focused on keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.

With more women in the Legislature, officials in Austin might have responded more quickly and forcefully to years of parents’ complaints and the Chronicle’s 2016 expose of the Texas Education Agency’s shameful practice of denying special education services to qualified students. It took a rebuke from the U.S. Department of Education to prod them into action.

Last but not least, had there been more women in Congress, taxpayers might have saved the nearly $300,000 spent to settle claims of sexual harassment and/or discrimination by members. Were there more women in the state Legislature, that body would be more apt to thoroughly investigate allegations of misconduct by its members, starting with Sens. Borris Miles, D-Houston, and Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio.

We applaud the many Texas women who have stepped up to run for office. It is a costly and consuming enterprise for the candidate and her family. We also know that voters will be looking for the best and most qualified candidate. We hope they will do so without considering gender. Even if “women’s issues” aren’t your issues, health, education and civil liberties are as critical to a prosperous, vibrant and stable community as agriculture, macroeconomics and energy.

We applaud the many Texas women who have stepped up to run for office. It is a costly and consuming enterprise for the candidate and her family.