Celebrating 25 Years - EMILY's List

In 1985, 25 women, Rolodex's in hand, gathered in Ellen Malcolm's basement to send letters to their friends about a network they were forming to raise money for pro-choice Democratic women candidates - EMILY's List.  Today, EMILY's List continues to work to toward building a progressive America by electing pro-choice Democratic women to office.


Their Mission:

•EMILY’s List looks for viable political opportunities and recruits strong pro-choice Democratic women candidates to run.

•We tell our community of members about these women, and ask them to give directly to the campaigns of candidates for House, Senate, and governor.

•We provide extensive training for candidates and staff so they can make the most of limited resources and win the toughest races.

•We conduct in-depth, ongoing research into the minds and moods of women voters, a critical bloc for Democrats whose votes are key to electing more women.

•Finally, our WOMEN VOTE! project reaches out to women voters in the days and weeks before Election Day with persuasive messages that motivate them to go to the polls and cast their ballots for progressive Democrats — because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s When Women Vote, Women Win!

EMILY's List’s motto is “win today and build for tomorrow.”

Our immediate focus is to protect our gains from 2008 and make sure President Obama has strong Democratic majorities in Congress and in the states to carry out his progressive agenda.

At the same time, we are making long-term investments to help women develop political skills and cultivate resources so that we can bring more women into politics and elected office. Only then can we build a lasting progressive majority dedicated to social justice, civil rights, diversity, economic reform, and compassion — and construct a society that values the contributions of all of its citizens.

Working together, we can make a difference — and change the face of American politics.