EMILY’s List Reveals First Round Of Research into Critical 2012 Voting Bloc: Independent Women Voters

Battleground State Women Voters Reveal Image Of An Out-Of-Touch Washington -
Solution Is New Leadership That Looks A Lot Like EMILY’s List Women

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, today held a conference call and webinar with EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock, WOMEN VOTE! Director Denise Feriozzi, and Democratic pollster Lisa Grove announcing new research into moderate, independent women voters in battleground states.

EMILY’s List has spent over a decade researching women voters – regularly conducting polls, surveys, and other analysis of segments of the women’s electorate. The 2012 election cycle has been rightfully identified as turning on the votes of women, and EMILY’s List is focused on what motivates this key section of the electorate.

Today’s research builds on the work EMILY’s List does every cycle. In 2010, the information learned about key segments of the women’s electorate allowed EMILY’s List to communicate effectively on behalf of candidates and help Democratic women win very close races, like Sen. Patty Murray’s and former Rep. Gabby Giffords’.

This election cycle, EMILY’s List is researching moderate, independent, women without college degrees. Today’s findings are the first round of that work, the results of targeted online focus group discussions. These women feel Washington is out of touch with their lives. They believe Congress is broken, ineffective, mired in obstructive partisanship – and the images they attached to that were largely male. They’re incensed at the intrusion on women’s health and believe the wrong issues are being prioritized.

“Women know that the Republicans in Congress just don’t get it,” said Schriock. “Women want to be talking about jobs, not birth control. The women EMILY’s List spoke to are clear about what they want. When they talk about new leadership, they’re talking about collaborators who understand their lives. And their descriptions line up strikingly with the candidates EMILY’s List is supporting this year.”

The women studied were asked to provide images they felt reflected Congress. Their submissions include sloths, misers, and cartoons featuring older men.

EMILY’s List asked which qualities these women seek in their Congressional Representatives. The descriptions they provided line up with the Democratic women running for office this year: “collaborative,” “listeners,” “humanitarians,” “show our children it’s not just a man’s world,” “relatable.”

In the 2009-2010 cycle, EMILY’s List raised more than $38.5 million to support its mission of recruiting and supporting women candidates, helping them build strong campaigns, and mobilizing women voters to turn out and vote. With a community of more than 900,000 members across the country, EMILY’s List is one of the largest political action committees in the nation. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY’s List has worked to elect 87 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 16 to the U.S. Senate, nine governors, and hundreds of women to the state legislatures, state constitutional offices, and other key local offices. In the 2009-2010 cycle, EMILY’s List had the largest number of members and donors in our 25 year history.