Vote for Mom: 8 Political Moms to Watch in 2012

Vote for Mom!Now that the 2012 presidential campaign is pretty much down to the final two candidates - President Barack Obama for the Democrats and former Governor Mitt Romney for the Republicans (sorry, Ron Paul!), we can finally turn our attention to some of the other races that are going on across the country.

Of course, the race for the White House is the one that will have most of our attention, but while these two guys duke it out, there are a lot of moms running for various elective offices across the country who are trying to make a difference, as well.

Of course, those are some pretty powerful moms in the photo here with Valerie Jarrett, one of President Obama's most senior advisors. And I have no doubt they're making their own change in their communities (myself included!)

Related: 20 secrets ALL women keep

But here are 8 moms who you're going to see on the campaign trail this year in various roles - they're one's we should all be watching!


Kirsten Gillibrand1. Kirsten Gillibrand
The junior U.S. Senator from New York is the mom of two young boys and a force to be reckoned with as she runs for re-election to the office that used to be Hillary Clinton's. She's only 45, so while she says she would love to see Secretary of State Clinton run for the White House in 2016, there's certainly time enough for her own presidential bid down the road!














Related: What you don't know about 38 of TIME's 100 Most Influential Women



Kelly Ayotte2. Kelly Ayotte
This mom of two has been the junior Senator from New Hampshire for about a year and a half, but was the Attorney General of New Hampshire before that. She's been talked about as a possible vice presidential running mate for Mitt Romney.









Cathy McMorris Rodgers3. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Another mom of two, Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the highest ranking Republican woman in the House of Representatives. You might recognize her from all the photo ops with Speaker of the House John Boehner -- she's usually the only woman in the photo!

















Mia Love4. Mia Love
Mia Love is a newcomer to the national scene. She's running for Congress in a newly formed district in Utah and is a mom of three. She's currently the Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah. If she wins this fall, she would be the first African American Republican congresswoman in history.








Related: 10 things to thank feminists for (and 10 that still need work)






Nikki Haley5. Nikki Haley
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is the mother of two daughters and is another woman on the potential short list to be Mitt Romney's running mate this fall. She's the author of her recently released memoir in which she talks about what it was like growing up as a woman of color in the Deep South.










Debbie Wasserman Schultz6. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
This mother of three is a true power player. A Congressomwoman from Florida, she is also the head of the Democratic National Committee, the powerful fundraising arm of the Democratic Party. Sadly, when the New York Times profiled her after she became the head of the DNC, the picture they used was of her in her kitchen in her pink sweat suit.














Related: 5 reasons why most women would work ... even if they didn't have to




Kristi Noem7. Kristi Noem
This congresswoman from South Dakota is the mother of three children. While she's only been in Congress for less than two years, she's also seen as a potential power player, especially among those "mama grizzlies" who liked Sarah Palin.













Donna Edwards8. Donna Edwards
This mom of one son is a congresswoman from Maryland, who's viewed as an up-and-coming presence in the Democratic Party. She has been a vocal advocate for reforming campaign finance laws, especially in this era of massive Super-PAC giving.
















- By Joanne Bamberger

For 2 more political moms to watch in 2012, visit Babble!

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Joanne BambergerJoanne Bamberger is the liberal-minded mother behind PunditMom, who believes: "having an opinion never goes out of style." And so in this mama-goes-to-Washington blog, Bamberger covers the news in a smart, inspiring way, reminding us just how important politics are for mothers.