Do you think that a woman will be elected President of the United States in the next decade, your lifetime or the next millennium? Do you think that a woman will be elected to serve as the vice president? Many people in America today would say no. However, history has shown that women are making their move toward the top ranks of the U.S. government. In the 1984 presidential campaign, the Democratic candidate, Walter Mondale, faced a tough race against Ronald Reagan and needed a strong running mate to help secure votes. History was made in July 1984 when Walter Mondale selected Geraldine Ferraro, a Congresswoman from New York, as his choice for his vice presidential running mate.
A Brief Bio
Geraldine Anne Ferraro was born in 1935 in Newburgh, N.Y. She was the only daughter of Dominick Ferraro, an Italian immigrant who owned a restaurant and a small convenience store, and his wife Antonetta. Dominick Ferraro died of a heart attack in 1943 forcing Geraldine's family to move to Queens with her older brother. Geraldine Ferraro worked hard and managed to make her way through high school, college, graduate school, and law school. She worked as a grade school teacher in the Queens public school system for four years while she attended law school at night. She married a real-estate developer named John Zaccaro a week after passing the bar exam but decided to keep her maiden name as a tribute to her mother's support and devotion. They decided to start a family right away, so she postponed beginning her career and dedicated all of her time to raising her family.
Life as a Democrat
To provide an outlet for her energy and ambition while being a full-time mother, Ferraro became active in local Democratic clubs. This allowed her to make contacts with others in the legal profession and become more involved in local politics. In 1974, she accepted a job as assistant district attorney in the Investigations Bureau. She handled issues such as child abuse, domestic abuse, and rape for the Special Victims Bureau. This position caused Ferraro's political philosophies to change. She became a believer that the root of many of the crimes she dealt with on a daily basis was poverty and social injustice. This new sentiment led others to classify Ferraro as a liberal instead of as a conservative. In 1978, with new political ideas in hand, Ferraro quit her job at the district attorney's office and set her sights on the 9th Congressional District seat held by the retiring James J. Delaney. Geraldine Ferraro won the three-way Democratic primary with 53 percent of the vote and went on to beat Republican Alfred A. DelliBovi in the general election.
Ferraro used her new position in Washington, D.C., to obtain new and better services for her district. She pushed for women's issues in Congress but did so without alienating her fellow Congressmen. As time passed and she became more experienced, Ferraro was promoted. She soon sat on the Budget Committee, the House Steering and Policy Committee and, in 1984, she was appointed chairwoman of the Democratic platform committee. She was the first woman to hold a position of such prominence. Her new appointment, her past record and her personal qualities soon attracted the attention of Walter Mondale, the Democratic presidential hopeful.
Mrs. Vice President?
On July 12, 1984, Walter Mondale announced to the nation that Geraldine Ferraro had agreed to be his vice presidential running mate. Ferraro was the first woman to be recognized as a candidate for vice president of the United States. It was Mondale's hope and Ferraro's belief that together they could attract the votes of the American people and put a stop to the Reagan-Bush ticket. Unfortunately, a scandal emerged, and Ferraro found herself having to defend her family against allegations that they owed more than $50,000 in back taxes. Furthermore, her family had donated more than $100,000 to her Congressional campaign (the legal limit is $1,000 per person). Although she weathered the media interrogation and convinced many new women's groups to contribute to and support the Democratic ticket, Mondale and Ferraro suffered a huge defeat in the November election. President Reagan won re-election with 49 states and 525 electoral votes, the highest electoral vote total in the nation's history. Mondale won only 13 electoral votes but 41 percent of the popular vote.
The Future for Ferraro and Others
Mondale and Ferraro lost the 1984 election, but her presence serves as a marker in history. Many people worked together to open the door for women in politics. Ferraro, however, managed to become the first woman vice presidential nominee. Ferraro first drew the nation's attention to the possibility that a woman could hold the second highest position in the United States. As the 21st century unfolds, it will be interesting to monitor the role of women in politics—from the local level to the Oval Office.