Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) is fundraising off a front-page New York Times article fretting about sexism and double standards against female political candidates.
In a piece headlined "‘A Woman, Just Not That Woman’: How Sexism Plays Out on the Trail," the Times reported on researchers and political experts claiming women running for office are more likely to be deemed unlikable for their ambition and are less likely to be supported if they're deemed unlikable, even if they're qualified.
Gillibrand requested donations to her exploratory committee along with a screenshot of the article's headline.
"Outdated sexist tropes like the ones described on the front page of today’s New York Times still dominate the narrative around women candidates and campaigns like ours—but we’re going to shatter them," Gillibrand wrote in an email to supporters.
"Ours is the only campaign making family leave, women's access to health care, and prevention of sexual assault central to our fight—and I believe at my core we’re going to win because of it, not despite it. But we’re going to have to fight twice as hard in this race, and we’ll only win if we do it together."
Her campaign has leaned hard into women's issues; she's even incorporating pink into her campaign logo, an unusual move given politicians tend to lean toward traditional red, white, and blue.
Gillibrand, along with fellow Sens. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii) is part of the most diverse and female Democratic primary field in history.
Despite forming her exploratory committee last month, Gillibrand is not resonating with Democrats in the polls yet. A Morning Consult survey of Democratic primary voters showed her with just 1 percent support, behind even Klobuchar and undeclared candidate Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio).