Hollywood Women's Political Committee

"HWPC" redirects here. For the film industry social organization, see Hollywood Women's Press Club.
Hollywood Women's Political Committee
AbbreviationHWPC
FormationAugust 1984
DissolvedJune 1997
TypePAC
Legal statusdefunct
HeadquartersBeverly Hills, California
Membership
300[1]

Hollywood Women's Political Committee was an American political action committee that campaigned for progressive issues. The group was founded by Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, and other women in the Greater Los Angeles area. HWPC formed in response to Geraldine Ferraro being selected as the running mate of Walter Mondale to run against President Ronald Reagan in the 1984 United States presidential election.[2][3][4] The HWPC helped the Democratic Party wrest majority control in the 1986 U.S. Senate elections,[5] and they helped elect Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election.[6] 1992 also saw the HWPC assist in bringing a record number of women into the U.S. Senate, the accomplishment called the Year of the Woman.[7]

Founded by 12 women, the membership grew to several hundred. In 1996 they were described as "the single most-powerful entertainment group" in politics, based on their total donations.[8] The group disbanded in April 1997 after the rise of Clintonism: the centrist compromises made by Bill Clinton, abandoning HWPC and the Left.[9] During its 12 years of operation, HWPC donated a total of $6 million for political causes.[10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Moss1996 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Balzar, John (March 9, 1987). "Party Power : 'Proudly Liberal' Hollywood Women's Political Committee Backs Up Its Message With Money and Muscle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  3. ^ "Women's Political Group Disbands in Hollywood". The New York Times. Reuters. April 14, 1997. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  4. ^ Waxman, Sharon (April 17, 1997). "Hollywood Women PAC It In". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  5. ^ Smith, Timothy K. (May 14, 1993). "What Does Barbra Believe in, Anyway? 'Repair the World'". Wall Street Journal.
  6. ^ "Clinton fell for Hollywood, but not before the stars fell for him". SF Gate. September 7, 2004. Retrieved September 10, 2020. Quoting from Kevin Starr's book Coast of Dreams: California on the Edge, 1990-2003.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ross2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Crowley, Brian E. (June 2, 1996). "Stars, and their money, come out for Democratic candidates, causes". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  9. ^ Martin, Bradford (2011). The Other Eighties: A Secret History of America in the Age of Reagan. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 87–88. ISBN 9781429953429.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cooper1999 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).