Sheila Kuehl
Kuehl was elected to the California State Assembly in 1994, becoming the first openly gay person elected to the California legislature. While running for office Kuehl found she was able to offset some negative stereotypes people had about lesbians thanks to their familiarity with her role as Zelda. She told an interviewer "When people know gay people personally, they tend to feel differently about the whole community. And all of a sudden, here's a person that they knew very well that they found out was lesbian."
Jill Alper
Alper co-founded the Women's Information Network in 1989. In 1991, she was voted a "Rising Star" by "Campaigns and Elections" magazine. In 1993, she received the Women of Distinction Award from the American Association of University Women. In 2006, she was recognized by The American Association of Political Consultants as the "Best Democratic Campaign Manager" in the nation for Granholm's re-election. In 2010, she was named to the Aristotle Campaign Dream Team. Actress Cheryl Kaleda was cast to play Alper in the movie Recount (film), a chronicle of the weeks after the 2000 U.S. presidential election and the subsequent recounts in Florida, starring Kevin Spacey. From 2011 to early 2013 she wrote a bi-weekly Sunday column for the "Detroit Free Press", "Politically Speaking".