Johnston Woman Named to Iowa Women For Obama Steering Committee

Marcia Nichols has been politically active for as long as she can remember.

In 2008, she started as a Hillary Clinton supporter. Now, the Johnston resident has been named to the Iowa Women for Obama Steering Committee.

"I really liked his message, so I helped four years ago," after Clinton's campaign ended, she said. "I'm more involved this year because I've seen what he's done and I see what can be done."

Nichols, who is the Iowa Political director for the AFSCME union, said the steering committee is trying to get all women involved to support Obama.

She highlighted several initiatives Obama has led for the benefit of women.

"The very first bill he signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act," she said. "Now women can demand they be paid the same as male counterparts for the same job. That's huge."

Other points Nichols made included:

• The Affordable Care Act that requires health plans include coverage without co-pay for the preventative services women need including mammograms, cervical cancer screenings and breastfeeding support.
• A health reform to stop insurance companies from discriminating against women and charging women more than men for the same coverage.

"The key is really to step forward in helping women and their families," she said.

Nichols and the committee has assisted this week in promoting Obama's campaign stop at the Iowa Fair Grounds.

"We're making sure people know about the visit," she said. "What we hope to do int he future is to have house parties, have people come and talk about what's facing them, getting voters registered and knocking on doors."

One thing's for sure, women's issues will continue to be a top priority for the committee.

"I think this is really a crucial time for our country," she said. "This is just a tough time for the middle class families."

May is Women for Obama month. Throughout the month the campaign is holding events across the state to highlight the President's record, why he is the right choice in November and to point out why Mitt Romney is the wrong choice for Iowa women.