Candace Gingrich talks at WPU about voting, half-brother

Candace Gingrich used to be politically apathetic until her half-brother, Newt, became… Candace Gingrich used to be politically apathetic until her half-brother, Newt, became Speaker of the House in 1994.

“I didn’t realize there was any need to be an active person,” Gingrich said.

But an “immediate spotlight” was aimed at her when the media “found out he had a sister who was a lesbian.”

She said she soon realized that her rights as a lesbian were being ignored, and she had to do something about it. She is now the manager of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s National Coming Out Project.

Gingrich spoke to approximately 25 people on the William Pitt Union Patio Monday evening about getting out to vote.

Gingrich’s audience was mostly made up of University Democrats and Rainbow Alliance members, the two groups that co-sponsored the event.

Gingrich said that for every one person who attended her speech, there are 100 people who care about what she has to say, “but they’re not bothering to get off their ass to do anything about it.”

“I understand that people are busy,” she added, but said becoming involved in the democratic process “doesn’t take much time and it’s something very much worth taking the time to do.”

“Why wouldn’t you vote … when your very future depends on it?” she asked. “Your vote matters as much as some lawyer.”

Gingrich also noted that politicians focus on social security because senior citizens vote. If students were to vote more and make their voice heard, politicians would have to address issues that are important to them, Gingrich said.

Both blacks and women had to fight for the right to vote, but now “we’ve got to start thinking about it as a duty … not a privilege,” she said.

“On college campuses, you have unlimited potential,” she said.

But she said the lack of a large crowd didn’t discourage her.

“I think more than anything that it renews my desire,” she said.

Gingrich ended her 10-minute speech with a quote from columnist Molly Ivins. “Don’t give up on politics and don’t reject them. There’s nothing more fun than raising hell for the good of the people,” she said.

“I look forward to raising hell for the good of the people [on Election Day],” she added.