Lt. Gov. Diane Denish said Wednesday politics is a dicey game.
"You have to stick with it to get elected," she said.
Denish participated in a panel discussion hosted by UNM's Feminist Research Institute along with Attorney General Patricia Madrid, State Sen. Dede Feldman and State Rep. Danice Picraux.
Rep. Heather Wilson was not able to attend because Congress was in session.
Denish said the increasing brutality of politics makes it difficult to recruit women to run for political offices.
Madrid agreed, saying there's a cruelty in politics that goes against women's nature.
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"Women have a harder time with how nasty it gets," she said.
The discussion was held in the Center for Arts.
Denish went on to say the mud slinging in political ads has a clear strategy behind it.
"It's intended to confuse voters, primarily women voters," she said.
She cited the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's negative campaigns against Kerry as an example.
Picraux elaborated on the nastiness in today's politics, and said the media and Internet perpetuate rumors.
"Winning means everything," she said. "The lack of centralized control leaves us at a disadvantage."
Feldman said women have come a long way, but there is a lack of women on national tickets. She said parties who don't expect to win the election have used women in politics.
"Often women are put up to be sacrificial lambs," she said. "They are nominated to positions knowing they will lose."
The panelists also tackled campaign fund-raising barriers.
Denish said the process is a two-way street.
"You have to work hard to establish credibility, and you have to work hard to raise money," she said. "Candidates are always surprised by how difficult it is to raise money."
The best way to raise money, she said, is to ask people one-on-one, which can be extremely difficult for some women to do.
"Once you get in the hang of it, it's not so bad," she said.
Denish is the chair of the New Mexico Kerry campaign. She said she hasn't had a hard time raising money.
"We have raised four times as much for John Kerry as we did for Gore in 2000," she said.
They have raised almost $1 for every person in New Mexico, she added.
An advantage men have over women when raising money for campaigns is the amount of connections they have, Madrid said.
She said women don't need to look far to begin networking.
"You have to start with your own Rolodex," she said.
Denish fielded the last question, which was about bravery.
"This is a year when you have to get outside your comfort zone - not a year to be glamorous," she said. "You have to be inspired by your own personal courage."
