Limbaugh’s Georgetown “Slut” Places a Bid for Senate

On February 4th, the news that former Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke had filed paperwork in order to receive an endorsement to run for the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Henry Waxman dominated headlines.

In late January, U.S. Representative Henry Waxman announced that he would retire from Congress and not seek reelection. Waxman has been one of the nation’s most influential Democratic lawmakers for the past few decades. Entering the House in the post-Watergate election of 1974, Waxman has “successfully championed laws to clean the country’s air, regulate cigarettes and steadily expand healthcare coverage for the poor.”

 The announcement that his congressional seat would soon be open immediately set off a rush of local politicians to place a bid, including current California senator Ted Lieu and former Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel. However, perhaps the most talked about bid for the congressional seat came from Sandra Fluke.

Sandra Fluke was brought to national attention after she was denied the ability to testify during a Republican-led House of Representative hearing on the coverage of contraception in the Affordable Care Act. Fluke later testified before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, speaking in favor of mandatory insurance coverage of contraception.

After the hearing, nearly every household in the U.S. knew her name as Rush Limbaugh called her both a “slut” and a “prostitute” on air.

 Since the news broke on February 4th, Sandra Fluke has issued a statement. She has decided against running for Rep. Henry Waxman’s congressional seat and instead plans on making a bid for the state Senate seat that will be vacated by Ted Lieu. As quoted by the Los Angeles Times, Fluke has stated:

“I am extremely moved by the outpouring of local and national support I have received since I announced that I was considering running for office. My entire career has been devoted to the public interest, whether representing victims of human trafficking or advocating for working families. I am committed to continuing that fight in Sacramento, working to protect our environment, ensure our access to health care, and create the jobs that are desperately needed. While I strongly considered offering my candidacy for Congress, I feel there is a better way for me to advance the causes that are important to our community.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that political strategists speculated Fluke and Greuel would attract the same set of voters due to their similar views. This speculation could have presented a problem for both candidates in a future election, particularly for Fluke since Wendy Greuel has a stronger sense of name recognition in the Los Angeles community. However, Fluke has stated that no political considerations played a role in her decision. Fluke instead said her decision was based purely on the belief that she would accomplish more in the state Legislature rather than Congress.