EMILY's List Congratulates Tammy Duckworth

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, congratulates Tammy Duckworth today on her victory in the Democratic primary in Illinois’ eighth congressional district.

“The entire EMILY’s List community is thrilled by Tammy’s victory tonight,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List. “During her time as Assistant Secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Tammy was a fierce advocate for veterans’ health care, housing and employment. Tammy is a true champion for women and families and we look forward to supporting her in the general election as she moves one step closer to representing the people of Illinois in Congress.”

“Women are leading the way back for Democrats in November and strong candidates like Tammy are setting the stage for an historic year for women. Tammy is ready to take on freshman Tea Party Republican Joe Walsh and she is not afraid to fight back against the GOP’s anti-woman, anti-family agenda. Time and again we have seen that Tammy knows what matters to the working families and women of Illinois, and she will work to get Washington back on track.”

A Major in the Illinois Army National Guard, Duckworth served in Iraq as an Assistant Operations Officer and a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. During a mission in Baghdad, her aircraft was attacked. While the crew successfully landed the aircraft, Duckworth lost both of her legs and partial use of one arm. She received the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and the Combat Action Badge decorations for her actions. After her recovery, Duckworth dedicated her life to public service, advocating on behalf of disability rights and Veterans. In 2009, she was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by Congress as assistant secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department.

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 1,000,000 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 27 year history.