128. Motherhood & Politics with Vote Mama

Heather and Brittany talk to Liuba Gretchen Shirley, Founder and CEO of Vote Mama. Vote Mama is the first Political Action Committee (PAC) dedicated to electing progressive moms up and down the ballot. Gretchen shares about her run for political office as the mother of young children, and why it's important to have more mothers represented amongst lawmakers.

Heather and Brittany talk to Liuba Gretchen Shirley, Founder and CEO of Vote Mama. Vote Mama is the first Political Action Committee (PAC) dedicated to electing progressive moms up and down the ballot. Gretchen shares about her run for political office as the mother of young children, and why it’s important to have more mothers represented amongst lawmakers.

About Liuba Gretchen Shirley

Liuba Grechen Shirley is the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama, the nation’s first Political Action Committee dedicated to electing progressive moms up and down the ballot, as well as the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation, the leading source of research and analysis about the political participation of mothers in the United States. Vote Mama Foundation is working toward gender equity by breaking the barriers mothers face running for office, normalizing mothers of young children running for office, and enabling legislators to pass family-friendly policies. 

In 2018, Liuba ran a historic congressional campaign to represent New York’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She received the highest vote share of any Democrat to run against the incumbent in 25 years. Liuba raised over $2 million with no corporate PAC money and built a grassroots movement of volunteers that knocked over 250,000 doors. She petitioned the Federal Election Commission and became the first woman in history to receive federal approval to spend Campaign Funds on Childcare. 

Throughout her career, Liuba has forged strategic partnerships between public, private, and nonprofit sector organizations to tackle issues including economic development, access to health care, and paid family leave. Together with UN Women, she launched the #IAmParent campaign for Parental Leave and was selected as a Global Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment. 

In 2019 and 2020, Liuba was selected as one of Long Island’s 100 Most Powerful People by City & State and was named to the Long Island Business News 40 Under 40 list. She has appeared on CNN, The Today Show, and MSNBC and featured in The Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and Huffington Post. Liuba holds an MBA with specializations in Management and Economics from the NYU Stern School of Business, and a BA in Politics and Russian from NYU. She lives on Long Island with her husband Christopher and children, Mila, Nicholas, and Andrew.

Follow Vote Mama on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can find more information about the Vote Mama PAC here, and Vote Mama Lobby here.

What to Listen For: Motherhood + Politics

Vote Mama’s mission, and how it can help women run for office
Why we need more mothers in political office
How to get more engaged in politics as a busy mom

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