EMILY's List Endorses Tammy Duckworth

Moves from "On the List" to A Full Recommendation

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- EMILY's List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced today that it is endorsing Tammy Duckworth, moving the candidate in Illinois's eighth congressional district from "On the List" to a full recommendation.

"On the List" is a new way for EMILY's List members to engage with and support promising candidates early in the election cycle. The EMILY's List community has experienced dramatic growth in recent cycles and now stands over 900,000 members strong. These supporters are getting their information earlier, quicker and on the web. Duckworth is part of the first group of 2012 House candidates to receive a full endorsement.

"Tammy has a long history with EMILY's List and is a favorite of our almost one million members. She is an extraordinary leader and we are proud to give her our full endorsement," said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY's List. "During her time as the assistant secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department, Tammy tirelessly advocated on behalf of veterans' health care, mental health, housing and employment.

"Now, Tammy needs to win a competitive primary before she can take on Tea Party darling Joe Walsh, who preaches ethics and responsibility without practicing much of either. Walsh is a reliable vote for the anti-woman agenda pursued by the House GOP and Tammy represents our best chance to take back this seat and replace his extremism with a strong Democratic woman. We are excited to put our full support behind Major Duckworth for Congress."

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 north of Baghdad, her aircraft was ambushed. The crew successfully landed the aircraft, but Duckworth lost both of her legs and partial use of one arm as a result of the 2004 attack. She received decorations for her actions, including the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. Since her recovery, Duckworth has 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.

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 86 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.