Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week, we’re collecting and sharing gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week: 

Mexico: female-led presidential race cements decades of action 

Christine Murray, Financial Times 

Prior to being the two leading candidates in Mexico’s presidential election, physicist Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez studied in traditionally male-dominated science subjects at Mexico’s public National Autonomous University. Sheinbaum and Gálvez went on to have parallel careers in academia and business respectively, and later transitioned into politics. The candidacies of Sheinbaum and Gálvez represent the notable progress in women’s representation in positions of power across Mexico, where women got the right to vote in 1953. To date, 50% of congress and the cabinet, the chief justice, central bank governor and about 30% of state governors are all female.  

Read the full story here. 

Women donors are underrepresented in fundraising for state elections. The impacts are wide-ranging. 

Mel Leonor Barclay, The 19th* 

Findings from a new report from the Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) show that, “women donors remain underrepresented in fundraising for state elections across the country, creating a gender gap that can have wide-ranging impacts on women candidates and political representation …” The report found that although women made up about 50% of donors for all state races between 2019 and 2022, women donors contributed 30% or less of all political contributions in state-level elections in the time period. According to an expert on women and politics and one of the authors of the report, Kira Sanbonmatsu says, “Contributions from when donors did not match or outpace contributions from men donors in any state with comparable elections between 2019 and 2022 … illustrating the pervasiveness of this donor gap.” 

Read the full story here.  

Nikki Haley’s Past Stance on Israel Could Be Key to Her Campaign’s Future 

Charles Homans, New York Times 

In January 2017, former governor of South Carolina and Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations called Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations to apologize. Earlier that month, the U.N. Security Council had passed a resolution condemning Israel for building settlements in the West Bank. The Obama administration had allowed the measure to pass by abstaining from the vote; in her call with the ambassador, Haley wanted to be clear that things would be different. Danon said, “She guaranteed that it would not happen as long as she was serving as ambassador … that she would get our back and support us.” The promise Haley made to Danon would set the tone for much of Haley’s time at the U.N. Over her two-year tenure, she made the defense of Israel her defining cause by transforming herself from a foreign policy novice to a blunt-talking stateswomen. Although Haley is still trailing behind Donald Trump in the polls, as new conflict pushes the affairs of the world to the forefront of the campaign trail, this may present a chance for Haley to become the leading Republican alternative to the former president.  

Read the full story here. 

Laphonza Butler knows how to amass quiet power. Will she win in the public arena? 

NOAH BIERMAN, TARYN LUNA, MATT HAMILTON, SEEMA MEHTA, Los Angeles Times 

In late 2019 when then-Senator Kamala Harris’ presidential bid was collapsing due to a number of unfortunate factors, her campaign needed a trusted person who could successfully close the operation down. That’s when now-Senator Laphonza Butler stepped in, taking a behind-the-scenes role that she quickly excelled in during her rapid rise in Democratic politics in California. While making a name for herself, Butler quietly forged connections with politicians and future mentors she impressed, including Vice President Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Now a Senatorsin California for the next 15 months, Butler will be tending to her own political future.  

Read the full story here.  

Stacey Abrams: ‘We’ve got to stop waiting for people to ask us for our opinions’ 

Daniela Pierre-Bravo, MSNBC 

At a conference hosted by Chief, a women’s leadership network, journalist Daniela Pierre-Bravo had the opportunity to interview Stacey Abrams about, “…everything from her time in office, her life outside of politics, and how leaders can effectively work towards meaningful change.” In the article, Abrams gives her thoughts on various topics, including remaining determined during tough times, dealing with setbacks, making your voice count, and using your power to create change.  

Read the full story here.