A Woman on the Ticket?

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Eventually, the vice presidency will become "the logical next step

The six Democratic presidential hopefuls who appeared before the annual convention of the National Organization for Women (NOW) early this month may have promised only "to consider" a female running mate. But they stumbled over each other trying to say it with conviction. "I would be proud to run with a woman on either end of the ticket," insisted Colorado Senator Gary Hart. Said Walter Mondale: "I see some contenders in this room."

Indeed, 1984 is being touted as the year when a woman for the first time could conceivably become the vice presidential nominee of a major party. Most political handicappers say the odds are long, but some women have nonetheless made the vice presidency their rallying cry. Says Ann Lewis, political director of the Democratic National Committee (D.N.C.): "They think of this as the logical next step."

Not without good reason. Women now constitute 53% of the nation's voting-age population. In 1980 their turnout rate (59%) caught up with that of men and, for women under 45, surpassed it by 3 points. According to the American Political Report, a conservative newsletter, 6 million more women than men are projected to vote in 1984. As important, many voters seem to be warming to the idea of a woman candidate for Vice President. "The party is ready for it," says D.N.C. Director Michael Steed. "What's more, the country is ready for it."

If a woman is on any top ticket in 1984, it is likely to be a Democratic one. There are two-thirds more women Democrats than Republicans, and on galvanizing women's issues, such as the Equal Rights Amendment and abortion, the Democratic Party is usually viewed as more sympathetic. Come convention time, however, there will be countervailing pressure on the nominee to use traditional yardsticks, such as geographical and ideological balance, to select a potential running mate. "It's a no-win situation," comments one D.N.C. official. "If the nominee chooses a woman, he'll be accused of caving in to the activists. If he doesn't, he'll still just be a good ole boy."

Moreover, there are no female Democratic Governors or Senators, two conventional springboards to the vice presidency. Admits Stephanie Solien, executive director of the Women's Campaign Fund: "The pool of women who would make a good candidate is quite small." Herewith, the women most frequently cited on the Democrats' short list:

> Corinne C. ("Lindy") Boggs, 67. A six-term House veteran from a 45% black New Orleans district, she voted against Reagan's budget cuts and supports a nuclear freeze. She could help Mondale in the South, but her antiabortion record hurts her with many women's groups.

> Dianne Feinstein, 50. Mayor of San Francisco since 1978, she is an able administrator and a political moderate in a town that does not automatically view that as a virtue. She could win votes in electorally rich California, but her lack of national experience and the fact that she is Jewish might prove political liabilities.*