written by Sarah Baldauf
Early in 2022, in the thick of recruiting candidates for the November elections, Han Pham came face-to-face with a key vulnerability in the mission to recruit and elect progressive women to office in Georgia. Recently installed as the executive director of Her Term, Pham was becoming concerned by the number of women bowing out of races in the lead-up to filing deadlines.
“It became this whack-a-mole game,” said Pham. Conversations to understand why revealed the fallout of a toxic environment for women and minorities in Georgia’s male-dominated political realms. Threats to personal and family safety became a barrier for some, as local elected officials are not provided with protections, and already low wages make covering security costs difficult. The lack of institutional support, such as female or minority mentors to offer guidance and help open doors, made working for change seem like a Herculean task.
As structural barriers and tales of burnout were illuminated, Pham and her team determined a specific type of support for candidates and elected officials was sorely missing. To fill that void, Her Term created resources and services focused on the mental health and well-being of its candidates.
Rejecting the traditional gut-it-out approach to politics, Her Term began offering a free weekly support group facilitated by licensed counselors as well as one-on-one sessions at low or no cost. These offerings aimed to address the unique demands on the candidates, many of whom faced long odds as progressive women and women of color in Georgia’s political good ol’ boys club. The resources were made available to all Democratic women who were running or already serving in office.
Hoganne Harrison-Walton adding “bunny therapy” to one group session at Han’s house.
“I think it should be required — before you run, during your run, and after,” said Hoganne Harrison-Walton, referring to the candidate support group. She ran for Georgia State House representative in District 133 but was unsuccessful. The attorney and small business owner would rush to join the sessions after her Wednesday court appearances. “As busy as I was, I made time for it,” she said, adding that the sessions nurtured essential bonds between the candidates. “It really built a sisterhood. I don’t care how many people work on your campaign; you feel alone. Sharing stories and bouncing ideas off other candidates going through the same war lets you know you’re not alone.”
Innovating to Change Georgia’s Political Landscape
While the backlash of Donald Trump’s election brought a wave of new organizations to recruit, train, and elect progressive women in Georgia, nobody was providing resources to shore up the mental health and well-being of candidates in such a cutthroat political environment.
“Considering mental and emotional health services is unique to Her Term, and it’s so smart,” said Dana Barrett, who was elected Fulton County commissioner for District 3 after an unsuccessful run in 2020 for the U.S. House of Representatives in Georgia District 11. “Instead of coming up with more trainings, I hope more groups see this as an example.”
Barrett found the Her Term resources novel as well as logical. “You're going into a world where people say whatever they want — online, in email, on social media. I was attacked a fair amount. You need to be able to talk about things that feel heavy or unfair.” She also recognized that as a woman, she was in a uniquely privileged position with Her Term’s offerings. “I feel bad for the men; everyone needs this.”
Sally Harrell, Georgia state senator for the 40th District, remembers receiving the Her Term email launching the initiative last Spring. “We acknowledge that your job is hard; we’ve recruited therapists — safe and progressive — who are available at low cost or free.” Having just come out of the “most difficult legislative session” of her political career, she immediately appreciated the benefit Her Term was offering. “I thought it could help those in office maintain our passion and effectiveness and also reduce turnover. This could really be useful.”
It has proved so on multiple levels. For the individual, Her Term’s resources provided well-timed mental health support and skills to use in the trenches. They also fostered a much-needed peer group, which has helped catalyze a developing caucus of progressive women in Georgia. “I never would have known people in districts outside Atlanta and the unique challenges in their campaigns,” said Harrell. “Participating broadened my perspective of what we’re trying to do as a state. I can support that even more now.”
The Power of Peer-to-Peer Support
Facilitating connection, sharing, and support among the candidates was very deliberate, said Judy Cantwell, a licensed professional counselor and professional work and life coach who led the group sessions and met one-on-one with some candidates.
“It isn’t about what I brought to the group,” Cantwell said, referring to the benefits of group dynamics. “They do it for one another, which makes it much more meaningful.” Solidarity grew as the women traded roles seeking and giving advice, listening, venting, and boosting one another up. While the group often left participants feeling a sense of “catharsis,” she said, she is precise about the design of the sessions: “It was strictly here-and-now topical support,” distinct from therapy. This approach ensured the sessions were responsive to immediate needs, actionable, and pertinent to the campaign.
Targeted Skill Building
The group sessions also included skill building for candidates to call on during the campaign, something they all found to be important. Each session opened with the chance to share a “win” from the previous week and closed with a mindfulness exercise. Teaching “effective breathing,” said Cantwell, was an essential technique they revisited to get centered. It became an important tool in the face of the double-standards and threats experienced by women in Georgia politics. “I learned how to breathe and cope,” said Tish Naghise, who was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for District 68. “I learned about being able to keep your composure, be thoughtful before you speak and not respond immediately, and it will have an effect on how I legislate.” (Naghise served half a term before passing away on March 8, 2023, following a short illness.)
“Effective Breathing”
Guided mindfulness exercises using breath work brought valuable calm and clear headedness. Envisioning breathing in colors and expelling their associated emotions was very useful, Harrison-Walton recalled. For example, she explained, when you “breathe out gray” as you release your breath, “you can really visualize stress leaving your body.”
Managing Attacks, Negativity
The candidates learned specific skills for handling the “demoralizing situations” and confrontational “naysayers” they faced regularly, said Cantwell. Her coaching focused on ways to harness composure and assertiveness instead of reacting with defensiveness or aggressiveness:
Use an “I” message. This allows you to maintain assertiveness and steer away from the confrontation with a positive or neutral response. For example: “I’m disappointed I won't have your vote, but please do vote.”
Avoid using “you” when faced with confrontation. It only inflames the other person and worsens — instead of disarming — negativity.
Don’t debate, defend, or argue with people who just want to pick at you. Focus on yourself, keep centered, be proactive.
Paving the Way for Future Candidates
“When you share, it helps others on their journey,” said Joyce Barlow of the “uplifting” group sessions. Barlow lost her bid to be Georgia state representative for District 151. Running in a region long represented by conservative white men, the small business owner and nurse was regularly met with “preconceived notions,” suspicion, or surprise when working to educate voters on her experience and capabilities.
“I have more challenges to overcome as a Black female,” said Barlow, who found special solace in hearing from the other candidates in more rural areas facing similar dynamics. Running a third time after narrowly losing a statewide campaign in 2020 was difficult but not in vain, she said. “The more people see women run for office locally, the more it will help change that mindset.”
Mokah-Jasmine Johnson, who ran unsuccessfully in 2020 and 2022 for the Georgia House of Representatives in District 120, will refocus her efforts on supporting the next class of future policymakers. “I want to mentor other women who are considering running or getting into policy work,” she said. Coming from an activism and organizing background with local policy wins already under her belt, Johnson has developed tough skin. But as a Black woman from Jamaica who doesn’t fit the status quo, politics was a true test.
“For a woman who doesn’t look like me, it might be easier to raise funds or get more sympathy from the base,” she said. “The questions and expectations they had of me were different compared with other candidates. Not fully acknowledging my experience or the work I have done — I had to digest that and smile.”
Facing these barriers made the Her Term support group a welcomed space. “There’s a lot of unfairness to politics. Regardless of color, being able to congregate with the other women and hear commonalities was valuable.” What stood out most was Her Term’s holistic, caring approach, she said.
“Women who run still have to work and tend to our families. You’re not just a candidate running a race.”
A New Option for Political Volunteering
“I never had the opportunity to serve in a different way,” said Cantwell, who has done grassroots work to support Democrats for years, from phone banking to knocking on doors. She found volunteering her professional skills extremely fulfilling. “I would get so excited before and after every group. I got the most out of it.”
Pham, who worked to recruit therapists and participated in all the group sessions, delights in one of the novel ways Her Term’s new offerings were beneficial. “The therapists found it just as life affirming as the candidates did. Very few times do you have both parties feel like it’s a gift.”
It’s a testament, she said, to the value of participating in the work of electing progressive women in Georgia. “There are ways to help that will have a huge impact. It’s not just about winning the race.”
Therapists, you can sign up to volunteer your services here.
