Cantwell Attacked for Being Unmarried and Childless

Maria Cantwell first entered elective office at the age of 28, when she became a Washington State Legislator. Since then, she has served two terms in Congress, a stint as Vice President of RealNetworks, and two terms in the United States Senate, where she currently serves, among other roles, as Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Energy and the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security. We'd call that impressive, but Cantwell's main opponent for re-election in 2012, State Senator Michael Baumgartner (R- Spokane), sees a glaring hole in Cantwell's résumé: the Senator is childless and unmarried.

Like many liberals and women's health advocates, Senator Cantwell opposed the Obama administration's recent decision to make Plan B contraception unavailable for girls under 16 without a prescription. It's no surprise that a social conservative like Baumgartner is of a different mind on the matter, but in an email to supporters this week, he took care to point out that Cantwell isn't married, and claimed that she has worked to "undermine the role of parents in child rearing." According to Baumgartner's campaign, the highly personal subject was broached to draw contrast with President Obama, who mentioned his own daughters in explaining the decision.

Cantwell won her last campaign in 2006 with a comfortable 56% of the vote. Her Republican challenger failed to break 40%, and few observers expect Michael Baumgartner to perform much better.

Washington may have two female senators and a female governor, but even here, female politicians walk a tightrope: if a politician is perceived as soft, she's not tough enough to lead, but not sensitive enough, and she's a cold-blooded harridan who will destroy your family.