The article, which focuses on plans to grow our online community and reach out to the next generation of EMILY's List supporters, also touches on our goals for November -- keeping our incumbents in their offices and electing more women to their ranks.

Here's what Stephanie had to say:

"...I think the desire of women to be in office is such a powerful one for me. There’s a pragmatism that’s brought by someone who has to watch kids, manage households and deal with work. It’s a challenge and perspective we need even more so today.”

Click here to read the article.

Gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink knows Florida is facing tough economic challenges -- and she's determined to do something about it.

Currently serving as the state's chief financial officer, Alex outlined her economic plans earlier this week, focusing on help for small businesses, job creation, and more efficient handling of the state's finances.

Here's what she had to say about her goals:

"I have a clear business plan to revive our economy in the short term and remake Florida in the long term. We will turn this economy around. With my 26-years of business experience, I understand how to engage our business community, our working families, our entrepreneurs and our governments in an all-out effort to get our state moving and working again."

Great news from New Mexico! EMILY's List candidate Diane Denish officially received the Democratic nomination for governor over the weekend at the Democratic nominating convention in Santa Fe.

During her acceptance speech, Diane outlined the kind of leadership she plans to bring to the governor's office -- her "New Way Forward for New Mexico."

"People ask me why I would want to be governor when times are so tough? I tell them because now is when it matters most. Times are tough, no doubt about it -- but New Mexicans are tougher. We can't rely on Wall Street bailouts. We have to pull together like a family and kick-start the economic recovery ourselves. We must help small businesses expand by cutting red tape and invest in our workforce so that we can compete for the high-wage jobs of the future."

We're thrilled Diane can now look past this first step in the process and gear up for her general election.

Earlier this week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced new leadership for its Red to Blue program, which supports some of the top Democratic challengers in GOP-held seats around the country. EMILY's List alums Cong. Allyson Schwartz and Donna Edwards will be serving as two of the four program chairs. Also taking on new responsibility will be current DCCC Vice Chair Cong. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who will be working with Democratic incumbents this cycle.

We're not surprised to see our women stepping up to help where they're most needed!

Tarryl's campaign released a very telling web video this week about Bachmann's stance on privatization of social security, and we wanted to make sure you saw it:

Yesterday, Vermont gubernatorial candidate Deb Markowitz kicked off her campaign, telling supporters exactly why she decided to run for governor:

"I am ready to lead this state, and together, with lots of energy, lots of smarts, lots of hard work and a little luck, we can jump-start Vermont, change Montpelier, grow jobs and build a strong future for our children."

Deb, who has served as Vermont's secretary of state since 1998, told supporters she understands the challenges facing the state , and she's ready to get down to business to create new jobs and help struggling Vermont families. With her trademark smile, as the Burlington Free Press noted, Deb said her experience and dedication make her the best candidate for the job. And based on comments from event attendees, other Vermonters are in agreement.

"We've known Deb for 10 years, and we are so impressed with her leadership. She is someone we can completely trust," supporter Christine Zachai told the Free Press.

Recent polling has shown Deb is the Democrat in the race best positioned to beat the GOP's candidate, current Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie. But with 5 candidates in the primary race, Deb will need all our support to get her message out to voters and put this seat in Democratic hands.

Click here to make a direct and immediate contribution to Deb Markowitz today!

Thank you for reminding me, and millions of young women around the country, that our reproductive rights are negotiable.

Thank you for waking me from the complacency I had regarding my own rights.

Thank you for reminding me that there are members of Congress dedicated solely to political success over the good of society as a whole.

And thank you showing me that there are members of Congress who aren't -- especially the pro-choice Democratic women in the House and Senate who fight so hard for us.

I'm sure you know Cong. Stupak is back, threatening to take health care hostage. Despite the rejection of his initial proposal to restrict women's rights in the health care bill, Cong. Stupak isn't about to go down quietly. He's joining with 11 other anti-choice Democrats in the House to vote against health care unless they get their way with more restrictions on women’s reproductive rights.

Attacking women's reproductive freedom for your own political gain and stopping health care for all is just plain wrong.

So why do I thank Mr. Stupak? For inspiration.

I made the decision to change course and come to EMILY's List, at least in part, because I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch him in action this fall, proposing a drastic change to current legislation -- a change that would have gone further than any previous federal law to restrict access to abortion.

I got fired up. And I decided to get involved.

Because there's nothing as infuriating as working for Congress and watching up-close as a male congressman takes the lead on an issue like this one, advocating to restrict women's rights.

More inspiring still?

Watching the Democratic women members of the House and Senate line up to head to the floor together, united in their fight to protect reproductive rights -- in addition to making sure women don't pay more than men for health care and have access to necessary preventative measures like mammograms. I was incredibly proud to watch them then, and I'm prouder still to be part of the EMILY's List team now to work for their re-elections and trying to get them some extra hands.

As we celebrate International Women's Day today, we are reminded why it is so important that we stand up for women in the us and around the world. And we must do everything we can to fight back against this outrageous assault on choice, because there's too much at stake for us to sit this one out.

So, Cong. Stupak, if you happen to come across this post, take heart in knowing that your assault on women's rights hasn’t just been divisive, or obstructive, or even infuriating. It's also been inspiring. Because now I'm more committed than ever to electing the women who will make our democracy more representative for all of us.

Now, I admit this might be sarcastic, but I'm sure that's exactly what you were hoping for.

We told you earlier that Linda Chavez-Thompson won her primary for lieutenant governor in Texas, and we wanted to make sure you knew about our other big Political Opportunity Program victories from this week.

Loretta Haldenwang, who won the Democratic nomination for Texas state House district 105, soundly defeated her primary opponent and came out with a win. Next up for Loretta is a three-way race against the incumbent, GOP state Rep. Linda Harper Brown, and a Libertarian candidate, Cecil Ince. Loretta is fresh off a decisive primary win, but the general election is shaping up to be a competitive contest. We'll keep you updated as her race develops.

And in Virginia, Eileen Filler-Corn won a special election to fill the vacant seat in House district 41. Eileen came out on top in an extremely tight race, winning with just 37 votes over her Republican opponent, Kerry Bolognese. This is a tough swing district -- but Eileen put together a winning campaign and got her message out to voters.

Congratulations to all our POP candidates on their exciting wins!

Newly endorsed House candidate Karen Bass is off and running in California. Earlier this week, Karen picked up a key endorsement from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Villaraigosa's support comes on the heels of endorsements from retiring incumbent Cong. Diane Watson and Cong. Maxine Waters (CA-35).

Here's what Villaraigosa had to say about Karen at the event at Los Angeles' City Hall:

“We need representation in the Congress that understands the needs of this city, the complexities of this city, the diversity of the city, and no one that I know truly understands those complexities, the diversity, the need for a fair share of resources like Karen Bass."

Karen is in a prime position to fill this Democratic-leaning seat, and we couldn't be more excited for her. But she's already drawn two primary opponents, and this won't be a clear path to victory.

You can help make sure Karen's campaign keeps running strong by making a contribution today!

Florida's Chief Financial Officer, Alex Sink, announced an initiative earlier this week to make sure the state's veterans know about and have access to the benefits available to them.

The program, "Florida Connects Vets," aims to make sure the 1.7 million veterans in the state are part of the Veteran Administration's database of former service members, making sure they're informed of the resources designed for them. Currently, only 700,000 of the state's vets are in the database. And, according to the St. Petersburg Times, an estimated $1 billion in veterans' benefits go unclaimed by Floridians.

Here's what Alex, the daughter of WWII Marine veteran, had to say about the program:

"This is the perfect example of how we can work together across departments to get more done, and at no extra cost to taxpayers.... These brave men and women deserve our respect and gratitude, and they deserve to know about all the benefits they can access. We need to take care of them when they come home."

Click here to learn more.

Frankly, I'm not surprised.

As I travel around the country, I've been asked repeatedly about Senator Lincoln's political troubles and what, if anything, EMILY's List will be doing to help her win a third term in 2010.

My answer? Nothing.

In 1998, EMILY's List helped elect Lincoln to the U.S. Senate. We believed her when she told us that that, if and when the Senate took up right-wing Senator Rick Santorum's bill to ban what he called "partial birth" abortion, she would insist on a health exception that protects women.

Our members gave generously to her campaign, believing that she would steadfastly stand by the pledge she made to us to protect women's reproductive freedom.

She took our members' hard-earned money to get elected. Unfortunately, when the Santorum bill came up for a vote, Lincoln voted for it even though it provided no exception to protect women's health.

EMILY's List members are deeply committed to electing pro-choice Democratic women whom we trust to stand up for our rights, treat us honestly, and make us proud. Our candidates fight for us every day. Blanche Lincoln failed to hold up her end of the bargain.

Since she wasn't there for us, we won't be there for her.

EMILY's List withdrew support for Senator Lincoln in 1999 after she voted in favor of the so-called "partial birth abortion ban" and has not supported her since.

Exciting news in the POP world! We're thrilled Linda Chavez-Thompson won her primary race for lieutenant governor in Texas, a major victory for a key post in the state. Linda was supported by our Political Opportunity Program, which supports pro-choice Democratic women at the state and local level. Linda brought in 53 percent of the vote in a tough race, making her the party's nominee for the general election.

As the former Executive Vice-President of the AFL-CIO, Linda has the experience, a national fundraising base, and the voter appeal Democrats hope will spell victory at the polls in November. A Latina from southern Texas, Linda's compelling personal story and presence as the only female Democratic candidate for statewide office have ignited the party’s ticket. Republicans have had a monopoly on statewide offices in Texas, and if she wins, Linda would become the first Democrat elected to statewide office since 1994.

Linda has a tough road ahead, as the GOP rallies around its candidate, incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Dewhurst, who didn't have a primary opponent, also brings his own significant personal wealth to the race. And Republicans know how critical this race will be for the redistricting process in Texas, as the next lieutenant governor will have a seat on the Legislative Redistricting Board. But Linda's a seasoned fighter, and her campaign is ready to hit the ground running, reach out to voters, and raise the funds Linda will need to win this race.

Here's what Linda had to say about her victory:

"I'm humbled to have won the Democratic Primary without a runoff.... [O]ur job is just beginning as we take our message to independent voters, frustrated voters, and working families."

When we helped elect Cong. Ann Kirkpatrick in 2008, we knew we were backing a candidate set on putting constituents ahead of herself. And it turns out that's exactly what we got.

Today, Ann announced her sponsorship of a bill to reduce congressional salaries by 5 percent, the Taking Responsibility for Congressional Pay Act. If the bill passes, member salaries would be cut for the first time since 1933, when they were reduced during the Great Depression.

Here's what Ann had to say about the bill:

"Families across the country are getting by on lower wages and finding ways to cut back during the downturn, and these are the folks that pay our salaries. The federal government’s budget is in much worse shape, so why shouldn’t senators and representatives have to feel the same pinch?”

“We are facing a historic challenge, and it will take historic action to get the job done. It has been 77 years since Congress’ last pay cut – I believe we are long past due for another."

We couldn't be prouder to see Ann leading the way for change. Way to go, Ann!

Stephanie spoke about election priorities for November, celebrating our 25th Anniversary this spring, and her plans to reach out to new younger supporters online.

Here's a quick clip, starting with a quote from Stephanie:

"[Y]ou’re going to see a lot more activity online. Facebook is how I communicate. We’re going to have a dialogue with younger women—and younger men...."

Drawing on her campaign experience, Schriock is expected to make EMILY’s List more of a player in online fundraising and among the Netroots...."

“We still need to keep the focus on why electing women is important,” Schriock says. “It’s because of issues dealing with family. Who’s going to make sure those issues are in the debate every single day? There are so many things we’re facing. The life experience women have is just different.”

Read the full profile here.

Five.

Out of more than 40 members of Congress and the Cabinet attending the President’s health care summit yesterday, that’s how many were women.

Shocking, isn’t it? But in a representative democracy where only 17 percent of Congress is made up of women, that’s what we get -- a group that’s far from representative.

Women in America carry a heavy burden when it comes to health care -- but when yesterday’s summit took place, there were only a handful of women’s voices at the table. Make no mistake: The women at the conference -- including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and EMILY’s List alums Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Senator Patty Murray (WA), and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) – made themselves heard. And if you haven’t heard what they had to say, you need to. Check it out here.

Health care is a huge portion of our economic output -- nearly 16 percent -- and yet one-half of our population was hardly represented in the debate yesterday. Just imagine how yesterday’s conversations would have gone with 20 women in that room? If your own mom, aunt, grandma had been there -- the same women who gave birth, took their kids to the doctor and soothed them when they had the chicken pox, figured out how to balance the household budget and medical bills -- can you imagine what they would have had to say?

For all those women -- and the daughters and sons, nieces and nephews for whom they cared -- we must still push for equal representation.

Our women in the House and Senate have been fighters for change -- ensuring women don’t pay more than men for the same coverage and have access to preventative care, and protesting insurance companies’ practice of classifying domestic violence as a “pre-existing condition.” But there simply aren’t enough of them. As much as our women have already accomplished -- on health care, education, and the economy -- it’s incredible to think what we could do with more of them in office.

Committee chairs and ranking members made up the bulk of the participants in yesterday’s meeting, just as you’d expect. But here’s the problem: with such a small percentage of Congress made up of women, we simply don’t have the numbers of women we need for a representative showing. More women in office will mean more women voicing our issues, working on solutions, and serving in leadership roles. And it will mean more seats at the table for key events like yesterday’s summit.

I came on board at EMILY’s List because I’m incredibly impressed by what this organization has done to change the face of power in America. And, looking at yesterday’s list of White House invitees, I’m reminded exactly how much work we have ahead of us. Change isn’t going to happen tomorrow, or next year, but it will happen -- but we’re counting you to be part of it. Join our network, get involved, help make change. EMILY’s List is committed to doing just that -- until five women becomes ten, and ten becomes twenty. And our government starts to look more like America.

The handful of women who attended yesterday's health care summit may have made for a small contingency of the attendees, but they didn't hold back when it came to voicing women's issues during the meeting.

Joining Cong. Louise Slaughter in highlighting crucial issues -- particularly those of women and families -- were Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and EMILY's List alums Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Sen. Patty Murray (WA).

As always, we were incredibly impressed with how articulate and insightful they were -- especially when so few of them were there to represent more than half the American population. And if they're this good when their numbers are so low in Congress (only 17%!) just imagine how much more they could achieve with a great number of women among their ranks...

Here's what they had to say:

Sen. Patty Murray, Washington, on making health care reform personal
"Every time we talk about this, every time I think about this, I remember a little boy who I met last spring, who was 11 years old, who's name was Marcellus. And he told me that his mom, single mom, taking care of him and his two younger sisters, was going to work every day, had a job managing a fast-food restaurant, was doing OK, but she got sick. And when she got sick, she had to take time off from work. And because she was missing so much work, she lost her job. When she lost her job, she lost her health care. And because she lost her health care, she couldn't get in to see a doctor and sadly, Marcellus' mom died."

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, on current insurance practices
"I think the most dangerous part of the system right now is having people -- having insurance companies pick and choose who gets coverage and who doesn't, based on your health condition. It's a lot cheaper to insure people who promise never to get sick."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, on what health care reform means to America
"This is not just about health care for America; it's about a healthier America. This legislation is about innovation; it's about prevention; it's about wellness. But most people haven't heard about that. And those people sitting at that kitchen table, they don't want to hear about process; they want to hear about results. They want to know what this means to them. And what it means is a health initiative that is about affordability for the middle class, lowering costs, improving access for them."

Cong. Louise Slaughter, New York, on what's at stake for women
"Eight states in this country right now have declared that domestic violence is a preexisting conditions on the ground, I assume, that if you're been unlucky enough to get yourself beaten up once you might go around and do it again. Forty-eight percent is the higher cost for women in many cases to buy their own insurance. Believe you me, that is really discriminatory."

The EMILY's List alum got right to the point when she addressed the lawmakers and top administration officials gathered at today's health care summit. As one of only a handful of women at the event, Louise made sure women's issues were brought to the forefront of the day's debates.

We've highlighted some of the remarkable work our women have done on health care recently, and Louise's actions today demonstrate exactly how critical it is to have women leaders involved in these discussions.

Here's a video and some highlights of what she had to say:

Eight states in this country right now have declared that domestic violence is a preexisting conditions on the ground, I assume, that if you're been unlucky enough to get yourself beaten up once you might go around and do it again.

Forty-eight percent is the higher cost for women in many cases to buy their own insurance. Believe you me, that is really discriminatory.

In 1991, women were not included in any of the trials at the NIH because we had hormones. It wasn't until we had a critical mass of women here that said this will not do for more than half the population of the United States, who pay taxes, that we made certain that diseases like osteoporosis, mainly a woman's disease, cervical cancer, only a woman's disease, uterine cancer and others were really looked at.

Exciting news! Yesterday we announced our endorsement of Karen Bass for the open seat in CA-33.

Bass, who previously served as speaker of the California Assembly, made history in 2008 when she became the first African American woman to hold the position of speaker of any state assembly. Supported by our Political Opportunity Program in her state races, EMILY's List is thrilled to see her taking on this next challenge.

Now, with the retirement of EMILY's List alum Cong. Diane Watson, Bass is poised to carry on the district's progressive legacy in Congress. Watson was quick to throw her support behind Bass, and we were happy to do the same.

Here's what EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock had to say about the endorsement yesterday:

"While we are sorry to see Diane Watson retire, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to support Karen Bass for U.S. Congress. Karen has been an innovative Speaker of the Assembly in California. In the legislature, Karen has been a champion for better schools and health care reform. Under her leadership, the Assembly has worked to jumpstart projects that are stimulating California's economy. EMILY's List is proud to endorse Karen Bass for Congress."

You can help make sure Karen hits the ground running in this exciting race by contributing to her campaign today!

Just this week, the Republican Governors Association released its first television ad of the season, an attack on gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink. The GOP is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the piece, which is airing across the state.

Here's what Alex's campaign manager, Paul Dunn, had to say about the attacks:

"The decision by Bill McCollum to bring his Washington style of politics to Florida and launch misleading, negative attack ads eight months before the election shows just how scared he is that voters clearly want a business leader with a vision for growing Florida's economy over a career Washington politician who helped create today's economic mess."

The race is being called one of the "best gubernatorial contests of this cycle" -- and it's apparent Republicans are willing to do whatever it takes to keep the governor's mansion in GOP hands.

Alex is a proven Democratic leader who has worked to streamline state government and helped protect Florida consumers from fraud in her current role as the state's chief financial officer.

But she's counting on support from EMILY's List members across the country to help her respond to the GOP's attacks and win this seat!

Click here to help Alex Sink fight back against Republican attacks!