May 28, 2025

Our latest blog post from CAWP Senior Scholar Kira Sanbonmatsu, “Are Resources the Answer? How gender, race/ethnicity, and financial resources shape political giving,” explores why women of color, particularly Asian American women and Latinas, remain vastly underrepresented as campaign donors in congressional elections. Drawing on CAWP’s Women, Money & Politics Watch 2024 research and a deep dive into data from the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Politics Survey, Sanbonmatsu finds that charitable giving rates among Asian American women and Latinas outpace their political donations and offers insights for how political campaigns can better engage these donors.

Every year, we release CAWP’s New Jersey County Report Card, evaluating women's representation in local government across the state's 21 counties. The last report in 2024 highlighted significant developments in women's political representation in mayoral offices, while noting slight declines in their share of county commission seats. What will this year’s report card look like? Will women’s share of mayoralties, county commissions, and town councils drop or rise compared to 2024? Which counties are star students, and which earn bad marks? Stay tuned next week to find out where progress is happening — and where there’s still work to do.

“I marked my retirement with a planned gift to CAWP reflecting my respect for the Center’s work,” shared Katherine Kleeman, who spent nearly four decades at the Center and the Eagleton Institute of Politics. “My legacy fund included several financial components, but far more valuable is continuing to support work that gave me so much satisfaction: advancing the political engagement of women and girls.”

Kathy joined CAWP in 1980 and retired in 2018 as senior communications officer. Over the years, she co-authored influential research, helped shape educational programs, led public outreach on women’s political participation, and directed Eagleton’s media relations. "Under the leadership of Ruth B. Mandel and Debbie Walsh,” she said, “CAWP has a proud and distinguished history of research, education, and public service, a history my gift honors as the Center and the Eagleton Institute of Politics build for the future."

“Other longtime Center colleagues also created legacy funds,” she added. “What better compliment could an employer earn?”

In her career here, Kathy was instrumental in building CAWP into the foremost institution for the study and promotion of women in American politics," said CAWP Director Debbie Walsh. "It is no surprise that her continued devotion to our mission will help us build CAWP's future

Katherine E. Kleeman’s Legacy Fund supports the creation and dissemination of CAWP’s public communications. Learn more about the Kleeman Legacy Fund, and find out how you can become a CAWP legacy donor, at cawp.rutgers.edu.

Honoring Identity and Leadership This June

In celebration of Pride Month, Caribbean American Heritage Month, and Immigrant Heritage Month, CAWP is spotlighting women throughout history and currently in elected office whose identities and leadership reflect these vibrant communities across our social media channels.

Follow along with CAWP on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky.