ABSTRACT
Harriet Wood's observation echoed the frustration of many national women's leaders upon learning that Robert Abrams had defeated Geraldine Ferrare, Elizabeth Holtzman, and Al Sharpton to win the September 16, 1992 New York Democratic Senate primary. If the New York race is any indication, women are being held to a higher standard than men who campaign for higher office. Al D'Amato was re-elected to the Senate, and Geraldine Ferraro and Elizabeth Holtzman were confronted with charges that their political careers had been destroyed by the vitriolic primary campaign. But for her Democratic primary opponents, the charges allowed them to raise the legitimate question of whether Ferraro was the best candidate to take on Al D'Amato in the general election. Al Sharpton's primary strategy was to remain above the fray and to reach out beyond black voters for electoral support. Sharpton's own reputation had been seriously damaged by his role in the 1987 Tawana Brawley case.
