EMILY’s List celebrated its 20th anniversary today with a Gala in Washington, DC, commemorating two decades of campaigning for pro-choice Democratic women. Since its inception, EMILY’s List has helped elected 61 US congresswoman, 11 US Senators, eight governors and 216 women to other state and local offices.
“We have combined the financial commitment of thousands of donors and turned EMILY’s List into the largest political action committee in the country. And our candidates – our effective, committed pro-choice Democratic women candidates – have won race after race, breaking through the glass ceiling and making history with every election,” remarked Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY’s List.
In addition to Malcolm, speakers included many firsts for elected women: Senator Barbara Mikulski, the first Democratic woman elected to the US Senate in her own right; Representative Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as the House Democratic Leader; Representative Rosa DeLauro, EMILY’s List’s first executive director; Representative Gwen Moore, the first African-American to represent Wisconsin in the US House; State Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, the first woman to serve as the president of the Colorado Senate and Governor Jennifer Granholm, the first woman governor of Michigan.
EMILY’s List recruits qualified women candidates and teaches them to become better fundraisers and speakers. Moreover, it introduces the candidates to the EMILY’s List membership, which can then donate directly to a candidate’s campaign.
