On July 10-11, 1971, representatives from 27 states met in Washington, D.C., to form the National Women's Political Caucus, dedicated to organizing at local, state, and national levels to promote women in politics. Specifically, the NWPC wanted “to insure that women are fairly represented in elected and appointed political offices,” to raise women's issues in every election, and to see that women held policy making positions in political parties. The group was multi-partisan in composition. Two of the national organizers were Wisconsin Democratic Assembly Representative Midge Miller, and Betty Smith, long active in Madison and Republican politics. These two women helped establish the Wisconsin Women's Political Caucus (WWPC) on September 25, 1971.
The state headquarters of the WWPC were in Madison, although Caucus representatives throughout Wisconsin coordinated local activities under the direction of the state steering committee (later called the state policy council). These activities included encouraging women to register and vote, educating women about the presidential delegate selection process, and helping women to run for office. Other programs concern the introduction of women's rights planks into party platforms, communication with and support of other women's groups, and additional measures designed to end sexism, poverty, racism, and “institutional violence” toward women.
