An inside look: POP wins in Illinois
By Emily on 02/05/2010 @ 02:08 PM
EMILY's List's Political Opportunity Program (POP) had plenty to celebrate this week, following big wins in the primary elections in Illinois. All three of our endorsed POP candidates -- two in state House contests and one for state treasurer -- won their primaries and are headed on to the general election this November.
POP, which supports pro-choice Democratic women candidates at the state and local levels, provides strategic guidance as candidates set up their campaigns and run competitive races. For our three candidates in Illinois, POP certainly made a difference.
I spoke with Regional POP Director Muthoni Wambu to get her take on Tuesday's races:
Robin Kelly, State Treasurer
Robin won this statewide primary race 58-42%. If she wins the general election against a well-funded Republican state senator who ran unopposed in the primary, Robin will be the first African American woman to hold this statewide position.
Muthoni's take: We worked closely with the Kelly campaign and the hardworking team she’s assembled. We'll be very active with Robin's campaign as we move forward to the general election. ... Just as POP helped Lisa Madigan become the state's first woman attorney general, we're firmly committed to helping Robin become the first African American woman to hold a statewide constitutional office in Illinois.
Ann Williams, House District 11
Former assistant attorney general Ann Williams won with 46% of the vote in a hard-fought three-way primary. This is an open-seat race in a strongly Democratic district.
Muthoni's take: This is a redrawn district, and Ann is the first woman to hold this seat since it was redrawn. Ann ran a strong race and has great potential. We'll still be working very closely with her moving forward.
Robyn Gabel, House District 18
Robyn Gabel, executive director of the nonprofit Illinois Maternal & Child Health Coalition, won a hotly contested 5-way race with 27.5% of the vote. Robyn earned the support of EMILY's List alum Cong. Jan Schakowsky, who held the seat previously.
Muthoni's take: We were happy to lend a hand in Robyn's race. For both Robyn and Ann, the campaigns really felt the EMILY's List endorsement carried a lot of weight and helped win over women voters. Robyn's district has a strong history of electing women, and I think our involvement made a difference for her in this race.
With races across the country, POP is already looking ahead to the next stop on their primary map: Texas. With a March 2 primary date, Texas's elections are quickly approaching, followed by other key states including North Carolina, Nevada, and California.
And what lessons did we learn from the early Illinois races?
"It's going to be tough," Muthoni says. "Especially in states like Illinois -- where there are highly competitive Senate and gubernatorial races. We're going to have to invest a lot of resources and time to battle it out for our down-ballot candidates."
Fortunately, with outstanding candidates like these, that's something EMILY's List's POP staff is ready to take on. Reflecting on Kelly's race, Muthoni summed up why it's so easy to get behind our POP candidates: "We're working hard to help raise her profile, participate as part of her campaign team, and contribute financially. She's a fabulous candidate and a great investment."
Comments
Leave a Comment