First woman to win a presidential primary

[ProSense]

Chisholm joined the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969, as one of its founding members. In 1972, she made a bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, receiving 152 delegate votes, but ultimately losing the nomination to South Dakota Senator George McGovern. She did however make history by becoming both the first black person and the first woman to win the presidential primary by taking New Jersey with 66% of the vote. Chisholm's base of support was ethnically diverse and included the National Organization for Women. Among the volunteers who were inspired by her campaign was Barbara Lee, who would go on to become a congresswoman some 25 years later. (Currently, Barbara Lee has a couple of pieces of legislation that would honor Shirley Chisholm, including H Con Res 9, calling on the US Postal Service to create a stamp honoring her, and HR 176, which would create a program to encourage educational exchanges between the US and Caribbean nations.) Chisholm said she ran for the office "in spite of hopeless odds, . . . to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo."

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[ElizabethDC]

1. Wow, I didn't know that!

Thanks for the info.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. An important piece of history, thank you

Shirley Chisholm was a remarkable person and a pioneer.

[CherokeeDem]

3. I Met Her Once.

I was in my late 20's and was flying out of Lexington; Shirley Chisholm was sitting at my gate, she had been at UK for some kind of conference and I was so excited when I realized it was her. I had been a Democratic activist since I was 18 and joined the College Dems and she was a hero to me. I got up the courage to go talk to her, the first actual important political person I had spoken to, and she was so gracious and considerate. We talked for about 20 minutes until her flight boarded. One of the highlights of my life. What an amazing woman.

[LeFleur1]

4. Remembering

I remember Shirley Chishom, too.
She was one of the women who laid the groundwork for women in politics during very difficult times for women.

[ProSense]

5. Great story.

She was an extremely popular figure in Brooklyn in the 1970s. Winning NJ with 66%, wow!

[Skidmore]

6. Everytime timeI heard pundits gushing about "first" today,

I thought of MS. Chisholm.

[sandnsea]

7. I remember her, what a feisty lady

I vaguely remember her running, had totally forgotten she had won anywhere. Carol Mosley-Braun has run too, and is forgotten. But Hillary is still the first one who is truly viable, fairly or not.